


the future starts slow

by inanotheruniverse



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: CEO!Kara AU, F/F, Minor Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers, gotta love pining!kara, kara wearing a ton of suits because WHY NOT, pining!Kara
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28811433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inanotheruniverse/pseuds/inanotheruniverse
Summary: In Kara’s defense, she didn’t expect it either. This loud, poundingfeelingthat thrums inside her chest the moment her eyes catch something sosublimeshe nearly misses her next breath.One row below hers and exactly four chairs apart; smirking at a friend—Kara surreptitiouslypraysthat sheisjust a friend—and her eyes twinkling in a way that reminds Kara of the stars she used to watch every night through her childhood bedroom’s window.And then her lips twitch, blossoming into a full smile that etches a shallow dimple right below the curve of a pale cheek, and Kara’s prettysureshe forgets how to breathe entirely.or in which Kara is the newest CEO of EL Technologies and meets L-Corp’s CEO, Lena, at a business conference in London. But there’s more to their first meeting than just that, especially when Kara reveals that she hasknownLena four years ago (and she may or may not have been in love with her ever since).
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 106
Kudos: 503





	1. one: my heart’s in my mouth, have you figured it out?

She starts with a plan, simple and straightforward; put into motion the moment Kara sits Eliza down just as Alex has finished hanging up Kara’s diploma from Stanford on their wall, and she tells them both in one deep breath, “I’m going to MIT. I leave next week.”

It’s an unswerving two-year path that Kara knows she _needs_ to tread before she can fully take the helm from Eliza’s capable hands. And though MIT is an entirely new playing ground, Kara’s resolute on finishing in the quickest, least eventful way possible.

She tells Alex and Eliza exactly _that_. Her adoptive mother just nods, looking incredibly proud, and tells Kara she’ll take care of _everything_ like she always does. While Alex merely shoots her an encouraging smile, then asks, “Need help packing?”

...

  
  


It’s why they find themselves in Kara’s room two days later, stripped as bare as it had been back when Kara was still finishing her degree in Stanford. It only resembled being _lived in_ two months after Kara flew back as soon as she graduated, but as the third month hit, Alex is helping empty it yet again.

“You sure you’re not going to take a few more months off?” Alex tries. She knows Kara has long made up her mind, but she just _has_ to. And even then, she’s stacking more of Kara’s books inside the box labeled _books_ in all caps. “Mom’s not thinking of retiring yet, anyway.”

Kara slips out of her walk-in closet with her more _plain_ clothes scooped in her arms, dumps them on top of her bed. “I think I’m over time offs, to be honest.”

Alex drops the last of the books in her hand—a signed copy of _Astrophysics for People in a Hurry_ —twisting over her shoulder to throw her sister a look of disbelief. “No one is over time offs.”

(But Kara’s different. Kara has always been different. Where Alex would pause to take a deep breath, Kara would just barrel through. It’s both a blessing that Alex is incredibly grateful for, and a curse that she makes sure to keep an eye on as Kara’s older sister.)

“I am, though,” Kara answers with a light chuckle. “Don’t take it as a bad thing. I’m just—just—I feel _ready_ , you know? Like I can’t wait to help—”

“Make the world a little better?” Alex finishes for her.

Kara nods shyly at that, plucking a cashmere sweater from the pile and starts folding it just so there’s _something_ she can do with her hands. It’s a truth that has been sitting on Kara’s shoulders since she was thirteen, an _inevitable_ that Kara doesn’t see the point of prolonging. Not when she has the kind of power that can really help change the world, make it a little better for everyone in every way Kara can think of.

Alex shifts on her feet then, walking towards Kara to wrap an arm around her sister’s shoulders. She squeezes her once, the smile she gives her filled with pride as she tells Kara, “I can’t wait for it, too, you know. We’re going to do so many great things together.”

…

  
  


She flies out of National City with the same plan in mind, and by the time she sets foot in her apartment on Sidney Street, gazing at the green scenery out of her high rise windows, it has morphed into a vision that’s never been clearer in Kara’s head.

Two years from now, she’ll be looking at a very different view: from atop with bigger pictures, and Kara can hardly wait. 

…

  
  


Her first semester goes thankfully smooth. With an apartment of her own and smaller class sizes for her majors, it’s easier to keep her head down and her _presence_ low. 

Because behind her denim jeans, pastel sweaters, and the huge square-rimmed glasses that obscures almost half of her face, she’s _just_ Kara Danvers.

…

  
  


She meets Winn the first week of her second semester, by the student bulletin board that Kara has been staring at for the last five minutes, ruminating on which elective to get to fill her last three units.

Winn’s staring just as long—or maybe even longer than Kara has—before he decides to just give up. The _screw this_ he hisses jostles Kara out of her reverie, her lips curling in amusement as she watches Winn throw a palm over his eyes. An outstretched finger draws a few circles in the air until it darts forward and blindly pins down a class schedule.

Like _pin the tail_ , Kara thinks, laughing a little. Winn quickly turns at the sound, but he laughs too, catching Kara halfway through a giggle.

He recovers first, introduces himself with a casual clearing of his throat. “Uh, hi. Winn Schott, and I feel compelled to tell you that I don’t normally do that.”

“Kara,” she replies, brief on purpose. “And I feel compelled to tell you that I am _so_ doing that the next time I get stuck trying to pick an elective.”

“In that case, let me save you from the embarrassment and pick,” he says, pausing to steal a glance where his finger is still pressed onto; purses his lips and nods in time with his drawl. “Quantum Mechanics. Not bad.”

“Why, thank you, Mister Schott,” Kara titters. “I guess it’s Quantum Mechanics for me, too.”

“You’re welcome. Unless you’re just totally stalking me,” Winn quips, though his grin is nothing but friendly. “I mean, we’ve both been here a while and…”

He lets his words trail off with a light shrug, and Kara answers with a smile that wrinkles her nose. “I’m totally not, but, whatever helps you sleep at night?”

Winn’s answering laugh rings loud in the hallway, pulling a wide grin from Kara’s lips. “I like you. We should hang out sometime.”

“Sure,” Kara agrees easily. Her grin turns affable when she adds, “I could use a new friend.”

Winn surprisingly takes the rejection in stride, and he actually looks more than happy to accept Kara’s offer of friendship; like the _insinuation_ just mere moments ago really was just a harmless _something_ much to Kara’s relief. “That works too.”

“So, where to?” Kara then asks. 

Winn checks the posted schedules again, pinning the lecture hall’s location on the map he has committed to memory at the same time he reads it out loud. “Room _32-123_.”

Kara only hooks the sling of her bag tighter on her shoulder in turn, throws Winn one last grin before she begins to trot away, leaving _last one to the room buys the donuts_ behind her as Winn yells _hey that’s cheating_ back and jogs after her.

…

  
  


Barring the unforeseen size of the class—a hundred and five, seventy more than Kara would prefer—things are still going according to her plan, Kara thinks. It’s only two hours at the maximum and three days a week, so there’s absolutely nothing Kara has to worry about.

She does choose the least favored seat she can find, though, just as a precaution. Winn takes the spot next to hers, and while a little confused, he thankfully doesn’t ask; simply fishes his laptop out of his bag and settles on his chair more comfortably.

Kara follows suit, plucking her notebook and her trusty _Montblanc_ that Eliza and Alex have gotten her as a good luck gift back then, for her first day in Stanford. She’s wholly prepped for the lecture to start, and admittedly a little excited to dig a little deeper into something she’s had to give up once, in favor of _others_ that just weighed more.

The lights in the lecture hall fully come on as their professor walks in, bathing the room in the brightest, most luminous glow, akin to the smile that spreads across Kara’s face.

It grows at their lecturer’s _welcome to QM one_ , bigger and wider as they go through each point in their syllabus because _everything_ is going great, and smoothly, and to Kara’s every favor.

And maybe, Kara thinks, things are going to be just fine.

…

  
  


Halfway through the syllabus—in between _Classic Mechanics_ and _Quantum Computing_ —Kara’s gaze strays away from her copy and towards the lecturer in front, fingers scratching absentmindedly at a spot on her cheek. 

It’s merely a second, two at the most, and _yet_ , everything spirals from there.

…

  
  


In Kara’s defense, she didn’t expect it either. This loud, pounding _feeling_ that thrums inside her chest the moment her eyes catch something so _sublime_ she nearly misses her next breath.

One row below hers and exactly four chairs apart; smirking at a friend—Kara surreptitiously _prays_ that she _is_ just a friend—and her eyes twinkling in a way that reminds Kara of the stars she used to watch every night through her childhood bedroom’s window.

And then her lips twitch, blossoming into a full smile that etches a shallow dimple right below the curve of a pale cheek, and Kara’s pretty _sure_ she forgets how to breathe entirely.

…

  
  


She sits there for two hours, entirely frozen and vacillating between forcing air into her lungs and trying to look like she’s at least listening to the subject matter being discussed. _Tries_ to look like she’s _not_ staring at the prettiest girl she has ever laid her eyes on, but at the huge whiteboard right in front instead, and their professor’s flowy sleeves that are, _frankly_ , distracting—

—Just not enough. The page on Kara’s notebook stays blank and her pen remains uncapped, but, Kara thinks, it _should_ be fine. 

It’s just the first day of the class anyway.

…

  
  


It’s _not_ a problem. Of course it’s not. It’s not even a wrench in Kara’s plan, even though she’s spent the entirety of the first week barely listening to Professor Simmons and _more_ listening to the girl whenever Kara is blessed enough to be within hearing range as she talks.

Adjustment periods always go both ways anyway. Kara’s confident she’ll be more on top of things come next week.

And if Kara spends the whole period staring at the back of a dark-haired head with immaculate curls until the bell rings and the class ends, _well_ , nobody has to know.

…

  
  


The rest of the month passes by in what Kara fees like a blink. But she supposes she has her schedule to thank for that. Between the sudden barrage of school works and her Quantum Mechanics, well, _classes_ , Kara has completely lost track of time.

It’s Alex’s call that clues her in that it’s been a month since she’s packed her things up from National City to Cambridge, the gruffness in Alex’s tone disguising the ever present worry that Kara _knows_ her sister will forever carry with her.

“How’s Masters treating you?”

“It hasn’t kicked my ass yet,” Kara replies. “If that’s what you’re really asking.”

“Yeah, well, give it time,” Alex answers, her laughter wafting through the phone’s speaker and coaxing a jolt that Kara feels almost physically in her chest. She misses her sister. “Took me two months before I was drowning in papers and deadlines. Maybe it’ll take you less.”

Kara scoffs at that, then, “Thanks for the heartfelt encouragement.”

“Just doing my big sister due diligence,” Alex says. Kara can _hear_ the ribbing smirk in her tone. “But really, how are you? Anyone caught your eye yet?”

“Alex,” Kara sighs; fights the blush that suddenly takes over her face even though there’s no one there to see it. “You know I don’t have time for stuff like that.”

“Okay, I know you’re on a fast track or something, but… no one said you can’t loosen up, Kara.”

“It’s not—I don’t—” Kara tries to say. But she only ends up exhaling another sigh, only ends up telling Alex that she needs to keep her focus despite green eyes and the prettiest smile that just seems to be behind her lids every time she closes her eyes now. 

And as much as Kara _wants_ to, she can feel the weight of _Zor-El_ on her shoulders every time she so much as _tries_ to veer towards a different path. So, she says, “I _can’t_. Eliza’s already done so much for me. I need to take over soon.”

It’s Alex who sighs this time. She knows her sister— _knows_ that when Kara sets her mind on something, there’s very little she can do to change it. But, that doesn’t mean she can’t tell her to slow down, especially if Alex thinks she _needs_ the reminder. 

So she does exactly that. “Fine. But just—promise me you’ll take it easy.”

“Alex—”

Alex presses harder. “Kara.”

Kara swallows thinly, but, eventually, she concedes. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

…

  
  


It’s pretty much how her second month goes. Her world begins to revolve around nothing but postgrad school and the responsibilities that will soon fall on her shoulders in the next few years.

Alex sends her constant updates from National City, and Eliza works around her schedule so she can bring Kara up to speed, and consequently into conference calls that Eliza deems she should weigh in on.

(Her adoptive mother says it’s for immersion and building a rapport with the board and their clients; her sister simply calls it _sucking up_.)

Quantum Mechanics becomes some sort of reprieve, a breather. Even if she spends half the time struggling for air in her lungs as she fiddles with her pen and her glasses, and the rest of it ignoring the curious looks Winn throws her way whenever she suddenly drops her head down and pretends she’s scribbling down notes.

(She doesn’t think she’s scribbled _anything_ substantial ever since _that_ first day. But the prettiest girl in the galaxy is looking over her shoulder and at Kara’s way, and so Kara has to busy herself with… _things_.)

Alex would call it _pining from the dumbest distance_ , if Kara ever tells her—she’d _never_ —and Kara’s completely okay with that. It’s a harmless, _nameless_ thing that makes Kara’s heart flutter and her stomach twist in the best kind of ways. 

Something Kara can just keep to herself and _for_ herself—to keep her head up for just so the _what comes next after this_ doesn’t drown Kara completely.

…

  
  


It works, for the most part. A _nameless_ bubble that Kara can just float aimlessly and guiltlessly in for a hundred and twenty minutes.

Kara learns to breathe easier in her smiles and the sound of her laugh, the green of her eyes bringing Kara some kind of peace she hasn’t really felt in a while.

…

  
  


Until she hears _Lena Luthor_ , and the bubble _pops_.

...

  
  


Kara’s staring at her grade when it happens; at the _90/100_ penned in red at the top right of her exam paper, and genuinely wondering _how_ it came to that. It’s practically a miracle with how embarrassingly little the attention she’s paid to the class has been. But it’s something she has to be happy with, since a good score is a good score after all.

It’s Professor Simmons’ voice that pushes her to tuck her paper inside her bag, the lecturer continuing to distribute everyone else’s results back before they can start on the new topic. “Lena Luthor?”

Kara glances at the row below her again, frowning a little at the _still_ empty chair that greets her. It’s not that Kara’s worried or anything, it’s just that it’s been raining all morning, and like the good student that Kara prides herself as, Kara’s simply concerned for the welfare of another fellow student.

“Lena Luthor?” Their professor repeats. 

She’s the one who spots the _familiar_ figure first, hurrying from the entryway towards the center platform. Her hands are outstretched both in apology and to collect the paper, a flurry of _sorrys_ rushing out of her mouth in between light pants.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry,” the prettiest girl in the entire universe— _Lena_ says. She’s a little out of breath and covered in dew drops from the drizzling rain, but it doesn’t make her any less beautiful in Kara’s eyes. “I apologize for being late.”

 _Magical_ , is what Kara’s mind even whispers, as Lena’s lips twitch and a look of approval settles on her face when she takes a peek at her score.

A chorus of hushed murmurs accompany Lena on her way back to her seat, which Kara watches Lena completely ignore as she stalks to her usual spot. It’s not clear to her what the whispers are all about, until Winn leans closer to her space and asks in his own hushed tone, “I wonder if she’s related to the Luthors?”

“Luthors?” Kara clarifies, voice equally muffled. “The same Luthors of Luthor Corp?”

Winn nods. “Yeah.”

Kara returns her gaze at Lena. Her hair is in waves today, curling from the droplets of rain, and she’s talking animatedly to her friend, going over some square contraption sketched on the notebook Lena’s holding in her hand.

“She’s always with Andrea Rojas,” Winn adds before Kara can speak. “And well, I heard the Rojases and the Luthors have been friends for like, decades.”

Kara has heard that too— _knows_ it for a fact. She learned it from Alex, and then Eliza as they went through the basic ins and outs of things as soon as she turned eighteen. But she doesn’t tell Winn that she knows; that Kara’s family almost had entangled with one of _them_ and it nearly cost everything. Because that will just raise more questions than Kara is prepared to answer. 

So, she says, “Does it matter if she is? Related to the Luthors, I mean. She’d still be the smartest girl in the room.”

(Because despite what Kara knows about the Luthors, especially Lex, she knows better than to assume that Lena is nothing but like him.)

Winn hums, then, he shakes his head. “I guess not. Just curious. And very, very intrigued. I’d love to hear what she thinks about the black-body radiation technology Luthor Corp is rumored to launch next year.”

“Yeah,” Kara mumbles. “Me too.”

Even though she’d rather know more about _just_ Lena and nothing else.

...

  
  


The week of their midterms, Kara practically lives inside the library with Winn. Her apartment is ways away from the campus main, and Kara finds that she can’t spare the back and forth without having to skip finishing a term paper before the deadline. So she packs her laptop, her books, and her notes inside one of her bigger messenger bags, and claims the quietest table she can find.

It’s at the farthest corner of the slightly-packed room, prefacing the tall bookcases that houses those thick, brown encyclopedias Kara has only ever seen in her parents’ study a few times before. Winn finds her easily, and together, they read in comfortable silence, filling out worksheets and practice tests Winn was able to snag the last minute.

She’s four questions away from finishing _Strategic Management_ when the sharp scrape of a chair echoes in the quiet air. It’s short and quick enough for Kara to ignore and read the next question, but then there’s a soft chuckle that follows the hushed _oh fuck, sorry_ that vaguely reminds Kara of Andrea, and her head is snapping up before she even realizes it.

It _is_ Andrea, stifling a laugh at the next table and looking around with a hand cupped over her mouth. Lena’s right there with her, gracefully sliding in on the chair that’s directly in Kara’s view, bottom lip pressed beneath her teeth in a way that Kara _wishes_ it isn’t. 

It’s bad enough that Lena’s nearby, but the way Lena chews at it to hold in her giggle just about steals all of Kara’s attention away and takes it with her.

A long moment passes before Kara’s even able to try and shift her eyes back to her review material. It’s a tough task she nearly manages to succeed in doing, but she gets stuck on reading the question she’s left earlier over and over, until it turns into a giant blur of words that Kara’s brain is suddenly not able to make sense of—

—Or maybe it’s just Kara’s vision itself, her gaze darting between the words on her paper and the serene look that settles on Lena’s face as she reads, and ultimately, to the tiny crinkle that shapes in between Lena’s brows when she flips to another page. 

It’s a pull that Kara just can’t seem to resist; only has gotten stronger ever since she’s put a _name_ to the _harmless_ fluttering that blooms in her chest whenever Lena’s around.

 _Only_ gets stronger even when a boy from their shared class swings by Lena and Andrea’s table, his cocky strut somehow matching his slicked-back hair and the hands he has pursed inside the pockets of his pants. He sucks at his teeth to get Lena’s attention, winking at her as she turns her head. 

It’s slow and deliberate that even Kara _reads_ the message Lena’s trying to send, though Kara surmises it merely flies right past his head, continuing to speak. Kara doesn’t hear what he says exactly, but there’s a pang in her chest that _jolts_ her enough to bring her head down, the paper crumpling under her fingertips.

She only looks up at the sound of Winn’s voice. “You okay?”

Kara nods, albeit it’s stiff. 

(And a part of her _hates_ that it is—that she’s acting this way because she’s not Lena’s _anything_. They’re not friends and Lena probably isn’t even aware of Kara’s existence. 

And though she knows she can _fix_ that at any point, she has a plan that she needs to stick to, and it doesn’t involve Lena as much as she wants it to. Or _anyone_ at all.)

“You sure?” Winn repeats, face scrunching lightly as he taps on the creases that Kara didn’t even know she’s made. “Because this kinda tells me something else.”

Kara follows the movement, to where the cap of Winn’s pen touches her paper, gasping sharply at the hole she’s also inevitably teared into. But she cuts it short, hiding it behind a thin swallow and a small smile she forces to shape. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Winn just studies her wordlessly for a long second. She tries not to flinch under his narrowing eyes in turn, meeting his gaze with an innocent look she adapts; tries not to chance a glance towards Lena’s table because that’d be _worse_ , like she might as well spill everything then if she does.

But her own eyes betray her the very next beat, when she catches Lena’s _thanks but I can get my own coffee_ and Kara turns minutely, watching the dejected scowl that dawns on the guy’s face with some kind of glee that tugs the corner of her lips up—

—Yet soon falls lopsidedly as she trails Andrea’s hand that crawls to where Lena’s is on top of the table, their fingers lacing together in a way that Kara can only deem as _intimate_.

Something constricts inside Kara’s chest, an ensuing pang that throbs and pulses, and Kara has to force herself to ignore. Instead she returns her attention to Winn and focuses on the long noise he draws that might be discernment she may need to squash. 

But by the time Kara’s gaze falls back to him, he’s smirking at Kara teasingly, as if he’s figured _everything_ out. 

Maybe he really has, when he says, “So, Lena, huh? Don’t worry, I don’t think Oliver’s her type. He’s too sleazy.”

“Wha—” Kara blurts, wincing at how it almost comes out as a violent hiss. It paints nothing but _guilt_ —though of _what_ , Kara really doesn’t know—but she still tries to fumble her way out of it. “What—why would I—who said—”

“Kara,” Winn then says. His smirk morphs into a kind smile, settling something inside of Kara that she didn’t even know has been stirred. “It’s okay.”

“It’s—” Kara tries once more. But she just throws her head up in the end and slowly exhales a sigh, bringing her chin back down to somehow meet the sympathy in Winn’s eyes.

She hadn’t wanted to say anything to him, because then it becomes _real_ , and Kara doesn’t quite know what to do with that yet. But it’s a little too late for that now, and the only thing she feels like she can do then is be honest to her friend—and _herself_. 

“Yeah,” she confesses; can’t help but feel like it’s befitting somehow, that the first time she does, it’s amidst the quiet. “Not like it matters. She’s with Andrea anyway.”

“Of course it matters,” Winn tells her. “Don’t ever think that it doesn’t. Besides, what if they’re really just good friends?”

Kara slides her gaze back to Lena’s table, nodding at her hand still clasped with Andrea’s; feels another throb that she has to swallow down, and only really speaks when the moment passes. “That doesn’t exactly say friends. I wouldn’t want to—”

She forces herself to stop, teetering at the edge of the _what ifs_ that she doesn’t really want to fall into.

“I know. You’re awesome like that,” Winn accedes, soft and gentle, like he means it.

Kara just smiles at him in reply. Yet, no matter how much well-meaning Winn’s words are, she’s quite sure it doesn’t reach her eyes.

…

  
  


Midterms week finishes with minimal flair, but it doesn’t really grant Kara any kind of respite. Her classes demand her full attention immediately after, though in a way, Kara supposes she’s thankful. The growing pile of essays she has to write renders her brain numb, leaving no spaces—where thoughts of Lena are wedged in between—that can’t be fixed by ice cream and a healthy amount of Disney.

She _still_ stares at Lena in class. Winn has told her that she stares at Lena whenever she’s around. But it’s something Kara has given up on fighting, even if she’s almost always with Andrea; figures that maybe prolonged exposure will get her to start feeling like Lena’s _not_ someone special. That she’d be just like everyone else she’s ever met.

She wasn’t—she _isn’t_. Yet all Kara can do is tell herself to give it time.

…

  
  


The summer heat completely fades as August comes, paving the way to Kara’s favorite season. She gleefully trades her light shirts for the plaids and the hoodies that make up most of her apartment’s closet, and a couple of comfy _NASA_ sweaters she’s snagged from Alex’s.

Her first day back from the brief break she welcomes with a worn-out gray jumper, the _[2b | !2b] That is the expression_ written in front making Winn cackle for a good long minute as soon as he sets his eyes on it.

In his amusement, he forgets to tell Kara about the _Robotics and AI week_ being held in their college, and Kara only finds out when she sees one of the activity flyers sticking out of the book he’s curled his hand around. 

Kara plucks it out with a curious, “What’s this?”

Her eyes make out the robotics contest scheduled at the end of the week, five days from now, to be exact. She tilts her head at Winn then, asks with excitement she can barely contain, “Are you going to join? Oooh! Can I help? Wait—that’s allowed, right?”

“No, Kara,” Winn laughs, but lets up just as quick at the unhappy look Kara’s face makes. “I’m not in it. Querl is. And I’m pretty sure helping contestants isn’t allowed in _any_ contest.”

Kara’s expression somewhat lifts at that, her smile a little brighter as she answers, “That’s so cool! Can we watch?”

“He gave me the flyer actually. Thinks we’d be super interested,” Winn explains. “He’s in the lab now working on his model. Wanna drop by?”

“You know you don’t have to ask me that, right?”

…

  
  


They find Querl Dox—who Kara swears has twelve brains that she really needs to keep in mind when she finishes her MBA, because of how much of a boon he could be—down at lab twenty-four, quietly working on his design and testing the fluidity of its movements.

But her warm greeting turns into a swallowed garble of words as soon as she steps inside the room, her eyes landing on Lena like she’s a _gosh darn_ beacon in broad daylight.

Kara’s not even fully aware that she stops walking altogether, that she stands frozen right in the middle of the entryway, staring at Lena and tracing each and every minute movement of her hands. From pressing keys on her laptop to the way she scoops her hair up, delicate fingers pulling it into a messy ponytail that Kara shouldn’t even find _that_ attractive. 

(But she does.)

Winn nearly barrels into her, and only skids into a stop at the very last second as Kara’s entire form eclipses the light. His face smacks into the tailends of Kara’s hair, letting out an _oof_ that Kara matches with a tiny squeak that escapes her mouth; and his momentum almost pitches Kara straight into Lena’s table.

Kara fumbles out an apology when Lena turns to check, a violent blush taking over her _everything_ that Kara can’t even bring herself to meet Lena’s concerned gaze. “S-sorry, sorry.”

Lena lets out a small laugh in turn, her hands spread out and hovering, as if she’s poised to catch Kara and help her right herself up in case she loses her footing. “It’s okay,” Lena says, and Kara feels another blush threaten to crawl up from her neck. “Are you okay?”

Kara can only nod; winces because she’s probably doing it _dumbly_. But the wave of warmth that invades her cheeks proves to be a little harder to fight, so much so that Kara even feels it rise to the tips of her ears. She just _can’t_ let Lena see that, so she keeps her gaze low and mumbles. “Yes, th—thanks.”

Lena then opens her mouth, as if she wants to make sure that Kara really is fine. Thankfully, Winn swoops in like the good friend that he is, saving Kara from the kind of mortification she knows she’ll probably never get over. 

“Hey, there’s Querl,” he throws out casually, loud enough for Lena to catch; makes a show of tapping Kara on her shoulder and gives her a slight push towards their friend’s own table.

Kara lets Winn steer her away, throwing one last glance at Lena as she walks, and trying not to get too disheartened at the sight of Lena typing on her phone with a charmed smile like she’s already forgotten the last five minutes.

…

  
  


Kara pulls the seat at Querl’s left, plopping down in complete mortification that she stews on silently. She tries not to dwell in the _after_ —the moment she leaves and Lena’s back to her own world and her own space; maybe Andrea’s too, when she joins Lena not even a minute after Kara has sat down. But it’s admittedly a little difficult since it’s practically on Kara’s face.

So she busies herself with Querl’s robotic arm, finding it a little weird that this year’s theme is arm wrestling. Though she doesn’t ask about the reason, just every minute detail on Querl’s blueprint instead that probably annoys him at some point.

It does help, thankfully. Because that part of her that _loves_ technology in its every form jumps out as soon as Querl starts explaining his ideas, and the logic behind each design fascinates Kara in ways she really didn’t expect.

They’re well into the discussion about certain aspects of the hydraulics he has come up with when a taller form obscures the lights, casting a shadowy veil over their table that stops Kara mid-reply.

They all turn, met by the sneer that the newcomer throws at them—at the half-built robotic arm that Querl has been working on all morning to be exact. “You sure you wanna play with the big leagues, Dox? With _that_ design?”

Kara’s eyes narrow thinly at him in response. He looks too familiar, like Kara has seen him somewhere before, and her mind quickly flips through the images inside her head; through the mental list of people Kara _needs_ to be aware of that she and Eliza have built at the back of her mind like a black book of sorts.

His name surfaces on its own, though, much like the unwarranted opinion he’s trying to express. Kara didn’t even have to look far. 

But before _Maxwell Lord_ can even leave her mouth, there’s another voice that filters through the collective breaths the entire lab has held ever since Maxwell has opened his.

“I should be asking you the same,” Lena says in an airy tone. But there’s a firm set that tightens her shoulders, showing the ire that’s simmering just beneath. 

Maxwell shuffles on his feet, turning a little to answer Lena. “Ask me what?”

Lena shrugs, and it’s so flippant Kara briefly wonders if this isn’t the first time they’ve gone against each other. “If you’re sure you’d want to play in the big leagues with _that_ model.” 

She tilts her head next, pretending to study Maxwell’s robotic arm that’s lying on top of the table he’s vacated. “Because the schematics frankly look like last year’s god awful one. Remember? The one that came in last place, for what, the third time?”

“Shut up, Luthor,” Maxwell snaps back. “You’re not even joining this year. Tell me, is big brother too busy to help you now?”

Lena’s mouth slowly unfurls into a wide, wicked grin that Kara thinks she’d never want to be in the receiving end of. It’s as if Maxwell has just handed her _the_ perfect chance without even knowing. 

Her shoulders unlax as she props her arms lazily on the table, but the sharp glint in her eyes belies the nonchalance the rest of her exudes. Like she’s about to deliver some sort of blow straight to an opponent’s gut. 

“Unlike you Mister Lord,” Lena begins to say, in a tone so smooth Kara _knows_ she’s just aiming for nothing but the jugular. “I don’t run to mommy crying for help every time none of my designs work. Have you checked yours, by the way? I seem to remember hearing something about it not powering up?”

She arches a pointed brow that nearly leaves Kara’s jaw slack, if not for the snort that also slips out that Kara muffles with her hands. “I suggest you check your code. You must have just forgotten a slash and left your entire program as a useless comment. It really wouldn’t be the first time.”

Maxwell fumes quite visibly, his entire face growing redder and redder at each word that leaves Lena’s mouth. It’s _glorious_ , if Kara’s going to be honest, with how hard his jaw is clenching while Lena’s just perched lazily on her seat, smirking at him like she’s already won and it didn’t even take her _any_ effort.

But he manages to reign his burgeoning anger in, clinging to the last thread of his control and going from there. Kara has absolutely no idea _how_ , given that Lena basically wounded him in all fronts, his mouth shaping into something smarmy. “You can be as bitchy as you want, Luthor. But it doesn’t really change the fact that I’m going to win this year, does it?”

“That’s a little sad, don’t you think?” Kara hears Lena say; watches the way Lena twists on her seat and a little to the side for some semblance of space, crossing her legs as she props herself on the table with an elbow. “That you’re only so sure of that because I’m not going to be in it?”

“Screw this. I don’t need to—”

“I hate to break it to you, then, Mister Lord,” Lena continues, breaking Maxwell off. “But you’re going to have to wait till Querl and I have long graduated before you get that first place. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

She slides out of her high chair with the kind of perfect grace Kara can’t quite fathom, gathers her things into her bag that she hooks on her shoulder before turning back at Maxwell once more. “I need to go register and grab my contest kit.”

Though, before she leaves with Andrea on her heels, she throws Querl a friendly nod, and says, “I’m looking forward to seeing you in the finals, Mister Dox.”

“ _Golly_ ,” Kara whispers as Lena walks away. Her eyes glue themselves on Lena’s back until she steps out of the room and disappears from the hallway, glowering so hard at Winn when he starts cackling out of nowhere and then tucks his hand under Kara’s chin, like he’s stopping her jaw from unhinging itself off of her mouth.

…

  
  


Friday comes and she’s a little late, and she definitely blames Alex for that. What was supposed to be just a quick update on their end of things turned into _ten reasons why Kara shouldn’t take Masters seriously_.

The contest has already started by the time Kara makes it to the venue. Though, she owes it to Winn that she still gets front row seats despite being one of the last ones to slip inside.

Lena’s setting up her robotic arm for her next match—that, for the record, Kara still thinks is _highly_ questionable and such a waste of resources—looking far too calm and composed for someone who’s planned, designed, and built a mechanical contraption from scratch in just four days.

The only indication of such a feat are the bags under Lena’s eyes. But even then, Lena’s glasses help hide them away. 

(Kara _didn’t_ even know she wears glasses, so, _naturally_ , she almost loses her breath again at the sight.

She really needs to start keeping track of these _things_.)

Lena’s lips curl into the pleased look that settles on her face when the succeeding match is flashed on the screen, and it dawns on her, and effectively everyone in the room, that Lena’s next opponent is Maxwell Lord.

Maxwell steps into the platform with his entry cradled in his arms. It looks more _futuristic_ than Lena’s in a sense, covered in blue and white that he tries to pass off as merely airbrushed for the aesthetics. Though Kara’s completely sure they’re not part of the contest kit at all.

It’s clearly grounds for disqualification, and she could very much tell Querl to let the organizers know. But Kara thinks she would rather see Lena crush his most prized work than be kicked out for his utter lack of sportsmanship and honesty.

He sets it down at the designated spot on top of the huge table, a little over the red line that Kara can’t help but scoff at. Lena seems to not be too bothered by it on the other hand, which Kara takes comfort in; only rolls her eyes when she catches Maxwell pretending to fix it.

Lena’s hand curls around the flight stick she’s designed to be her remote, her thumb hovering loosely over the four red buttons on top. Maxwell just taunts the _predictability_ of it, tells Lena the same as he whips out the tablet that he controls his with. “Did you run out of time and just picked one from the trash?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Kara hears Lena reply, flippant and feigning naivete. “I had so much spare time I finally caught up with sleep.”

His reply gets stuck in his mouth as the speakers blare to life with the moderator’s voice, the instructions to get their robots into position interrupting him completely. Lena maneuvers hers with her flight stick, while Maxwell guides his through his virtual pad.

“That would’ve looked real cool if he isn’t such a dick,” Winn whispers to Kara.

Kara hums, then, “I don’t know. I think the flight stick looks way more cool. Old school and all. Classic.”

“I think you mean _biased_ ,” Winn says, teasing.

“Biased would be me saying Lena’s design is the best looking out there,” Kara defends. “When it’s clearly not.”

“Touché,” he drawls with slow nods, and then faces the stage again when the bell rings to signal the start of the match.

Kara turns, too, her eyes fixing on Lena and the concentrated look that’s now painted on her face; mumbles under her breath as Lena’s robotic arm pushes against Maxwell’s with ease, “She’d still crush all of them, though.”

…

  
  


It goes on for what feels like _ages_ , or maybe that’s just how long Kara’s heart has been in her throat. One glance at the running clock tells her that it’s just really been three minutes, but Kara genuinely feels like she’s _aged_ a decade or something, shuffling from foot to foot with the lack of _give_ between Lena and her opponent.

Until something _does_ , tolled first by a soft metallic creak and followed shortly by the sound of snapping. Kara’s breath hitches, the air trapped in her lungs as her gaze tries to track if it’s Lena’s. But both Lena and Maxwell aren’t budging from their spots, too focused on trying to beat the other.

There’s another crack that almost gets Kara to take a step back and away from the stage with how loud it is. But Kara manages to stay rooted on her spot, her hands clasping together in front of her to silently cheer Lena on.

She lets the rest of the crowd cheer at the top of their lungs when Lena begins to take the lead, pushing Maxwell’s robotic arm further and further and further down, till the metal knuckles are a mere few inches away from the table’s surface.

Maxwell scrambles with his pad for an attempt to push back, taps here and there and all over the screen. Kara half expects some kind of jet engine to power Maxwell’s machine like in one of those movies, especially when it begins to lift itself off and a triumphant grin starts forming on Maxwell’s face.

It continues to rise halfway through, but there’s an obvious strain to it that Kara doesn’t miss. Her eyes dart to Lena to see if she spots it too, though given their positions on the platform, Kara can’t quite make sure.

But then, Lena’s thumb presses one of the red buttons on her flight stick and her robot arm practically propels Maxwell’s, bending it back sideways to where it’s been before. Her tongue pokes out of the corner of her mouth—and if Kara isn’t so anxious, she’d probably whine about how unfairly adorable and simultaneously dangerously attractive that is—as she hits another button that slams Maxwell Lord’s most prized robotic arm unforgivingly on the table.

It snaps and breaks off of its base, powering down as the wires get torn open and splintered in multiple directions.

The entire room erupts in celebration. Winn gawks at the sight, fumbling for words as his gaze darts between the stage and Kara who looks equally stunned. 

Ultimately, all Winn can say is, “Holy shit, Kara. I think I’m in love.”

Kara can’t help but laugh at that. Because, _honestly_ , who wouldn’t be?

…

  
  


It’s harder to tamp down her excitement from there, even when Lena steps down to give way for the other matches taking place, and has to wait to be called again once the semis start.

Because if it’s not her, then it’s Querl up on the platform. And as the number of contestants dwindle, the crowd grows, to higher spirits too and a thickening sense of anticipation as the semi-finals draws near.

It’s just Maxwell Lord who is _unsurprisingly_ absent, not that Kara really cares. Though part of her wishes he’d witness either Lena or Querl be crowned champion. 

Lena pretty much crushes her way through the semis and straight to the finals, coming head to head with Querl just like she has told him back in the lab. It’s a moment that unsettles Kara a bit, not really knowing who to root for.

Well, she knows _who_ it should be, because Querl is her friend, while Lena’s just someone she shares one class with. But Lena is also starting to feel like the unstoppable force that Kara doesn’t really know how to reckon with, even though she doesn’t know anything about Lena that’s for certain, except her name and how much Kara loves the way Lena looks when she smiles.

It’s a realization that hits her squarely on the chest, right in the middle of a rambunctious crowd that erupts into another round of roaring applause as Lena beats Querl by a hair. Kara’s gaze can only follow Lena as she sets her remote down and walks to Querl’s end of the table to shake his hand, beaming at Querl so wide and looking so beautiful Kara _can’t_ think.

Yet, it’s not the room that Kara finds deafening, but the complete silence from that tunnel-visioned part of her that knows nothing else but the plan she’s firmly laid even before hopping on the plane that had taken her here.

It stays just as hushed when Winn drags her to the backstage so they can congratulate Querl; nothing but _static_ that buzzes low as she feels Winn’s elbow nudging her arm, his head tilting slightly towards where Lena’s disassembling her creation. “You should go say hi.”

Kara just presses her lips together in answer, waiting for the _no_ to inevitably slip out of her mouth as she watches Lena pack her things back into her huge bag. 

But it never comes. 

Instead, there’s a _step_ that Kara badly wants to take but doesn’t know how to start, her foot half away from _full_ that she can’t quite go through. So she turns to look at Winn, helplessly floundering between one step forward and two steps back. “What—what do I say?”

“Well, what do _you_ want to say?”

There’s a lot, Kara discovers quickly. Things like: _I think you’re amazing_.

Things like: _you’re the most beautiful person in every room_.

Things like: _I think about you a lot, and I don’t know how to stop. Tell me how to stop_.

But they’re too much for a mouth that has stopped working, and a throat that’s suddenly closing up on her—at the very thought of letting Lena know _any_ of these things when she already has Andrea, who’s cupping both her cheeks to brush her lips on Lena’s forehead in a proud kiss that lingers. 

So Kara just shakes her head, returning the lopsided smile Winn offers with one of her own. “I guess I’ll just say hi next time.”

…

  
  


There’s never really a _next time_. She starts seeing Lena less and less around the campus, until Lena’s presence becomes confined to the lone class they share. That is if Lena even shows up. But between a month before finals and the PhD that Kara has learned Lena is in her last year of, Kara can’t really blame her.

So she doesn’t find a _next time_. What she gets is this tiny hole in her chest that’s vaguely shaped like Lena, a mark that has barely scratched the surface and _yet_ , Kara can feel it sting.

… 

  
  


She calls Alex.

It’s one in the morning in National City, and her sister is probably already— _finally_ —sleeping when she grabs her phone and taps the first number on her speed dial. 

But it’s three am at Kara’s apartment and she can’t sleep; feels like there’s sand in her hands and it’s slipping right in between her fingers before she can even get the chance to hold it wholly and figure out what it means.

Alex picks up in four rings, voice still raspy from sleep. “Kara? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Kara says. She stares blankly at her ceiling, trying to keep her breathing even and _not_ sigh. “I guess I just wanted to check in. How are things going?”

But Alex knows her more than she knows herself sometimes, and the short silence on Alex’s line tells her such. “At one in the morning?” Alex finally speaks with the lightest chuckle. “But, if you really want to know, things are going great. Though, we’re keeping an eye on some stuff.”

“Stuff?” Kara repeats. “What do you mean stuff? _Our_ stuff?”

“No, no,” Alex clears. “Someone else’s. The problem is we don’t know who exactly, but rumors are it’s gonna be bad. Some deal that had gone south and it’s about to be busted out in the open. Mom and I have been going through all our records for weeks now to cover our bases and so we can cut ties as soon as we get wind of who. Before the press picks up on it.”

“Wait, why is this the first time I’m hearing of this?” Kara frowns in concern, shuffling under her sheets to scoot back up and drop her weight against the headboard. “Do you need me to fly back?”

“I _need_ you to stay put and to take it easy,” Alex says, albeit it’s not unkind. There’s even a hint of a smile that Kara can hear in her sister’s tone. “That’s also why we haven’t told you. So tell me what’s bothering you so we can get you back on track.”

She looks away, darts her gaze towards the dark skies out of her bedroom window even if she’s completely alone in her apartment. “There’s nothing bothering me.”

“Kara,” Alex says dryly. “It’s nearly four in your side of the woods. Of course, something’s not right.”

“But—”

“Just tell me, Kara. It’s okay.” 

“Fine,” Kara sighs, slumping lower in defeat; sucks in a lungful of air before admitting something she hasn’t told anyone but Winn. “I think I like someone.”

“This doesn’t sound like a problem,” Alex answers. The rustling of sheets follows her words, and Kara can just picture her sister turning to lie on her side if she closes her eyes. Just like Alex always did when they were younger.

“She doesn’t know who I am, Alex.”

“Still doesn’t sound like a problem,” Alex repeats. “Actually sounds more like a song but—”

“Alex!” Kara can’t help but whine.

“What? It does!” Alex defends.

“Be serious!”

“I am serious,” she says. “She doesn’t know you? Then go say hi.”

Kara drops a hand over her comforter, twisting the cloth around her finger. “And she has a girlfriend. I think.”

“You think.”

“Yeah,” Kara sighs. “They’re always together, like, everywhere.” 

“But you’re not sure?”

“Winn says they’re just friends, but I don’t—”

“Well, you won’t know if you don’t ask, right?” 

…

  
  


It’s not as easy as Alex makes it sound; it never is.

With the pile of school work that never seems to stop _mounting_ , and the finals week that’s catching up to her more than she’s catching up with sleep, she’s _stuck_ in the same spaces and the same place that she’s in back when all of this started.

Granted, she’s never really moved to _anything_ other than somebody who shares _one_ class with who Kara may or may not think is the most amazing woman in the entire universe. But being stuck behind essays, and term papers, and _that_ sucks in varying levels.

It doesn’t help either that Lena’s practically done with Quantum Mechanics three classes ago, after handing in the last of her term requirements and a note requesting that she be excused from the few remaining lectures until their final exam. 

(Kara supposes it’s to give time to focus on her dissertation, though Winn says that he’s heard from Querl that the reason is _more_ personal than academic.

Not that Kara’s eager to _pry_. She just hopes Lena’s okay.)

A part of her has briefly thought about asking Andrea, but that’s also a line she’s not willing to ever cross. So Kara does what she thinks she’s been doing best.

She waits.

…

  
  


One glimpse, really, to know that Lena’s fine. That’s all that Kara can ask for.

Especially _now_ , when even Kara is reeling from the headlines plastered all over the papers and the news—the same thing she’s heard from Alex’s and Eliza’s mouths just a few moments ago.

_Lex Luthor Arrested For Treason_

Her phone shakes in her hand, her thumb trembling almost violently as it hovers above her screen and _Lex Luthor has been arrested under suspicion of supplying weapons to an anti-government group_ from the National City Post stares right back at her.

She sways on her feet, light-headed and so unsteady. She can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like for Lena right now, with her brother’s name slipping out of everyone’s mouth in the most _unkind_ ways.

She’d be horrified, because the world can be cruel and unforgiving when it wants to be. 

(She _remembers_ being horrified, rolling out of the hospital on a wheelchair at thirteen and being welcomed by a horde of blinding lights and the constant sound of shutters going off around her; thinks she’ll never even forget the words hurled at her on their way back to Jeremiah’s car.

 _Kara, did you know about your parents’ plans? - Kara, Joe from the Daily Planet, is it true that your dad was going to start selling weapons? - Jeremiah, what’s next for you now that the Zor-Els are gone?_ )

Kara swipes the news page out of her sight, locks her phone and tucks it back inside her pocket, suddenly finding the need for some place where she can get some semblance of peace. She _needs_ to think about what the most recent events could mean for her and Alex and Eliza now; about the next step they should take, and which lines to cross, and which stance to toe around on. 

They’ve never been in direct business with Lex, but Kara remembers her mom speaking fondly of Lillian, and Kara feels like she has to consider that too. Has to consider any decisions they make now that could affect them later down the line and when she’s taken over the reins.

But mostly, she just wants to try and find Lena, and offer her the kindness that she knows the world around her now lacks.

…

  
  


Kara finds solace in the library, amidst the sound of pages turning and the smell of old paper in the air that never really fades. There’s comfort in the low thrum of the air conditioners sticking out of the walls, a familiarity that Kara finds she needs at the moment.

She strolls down the aisle for one of the more isolated desks, a spot further away from the double doors and hidden behind the taller shelves filled with books gathering dust. 

It’s Einstein’s shelf, she learns when she pulls one of the books by its spine to check the cover. Kara remembers stumbling past Lena at this same aisle once, on the floor with her back leaning comfortably against the shelf, getting lost in the world of string theories and parallel universes.

She decides to take the table sandwiched in between this shelf and another—though it’s not for the odds of Lena happening to pass by or come back while Kara’s there—setting her bag on one of the two chairs tucked under.

Kara moves to return the book in her hand. But just as she’s slipping _On Peace_ back to its spot, a sniffle wafts from behind the shelf. It’s soft and restrained, muffled and constricted in a way as if whoever it is doesn’t want anyone else to hear it.

Her heart flies to her throat at that, and the next one that follows. Kara’s first thought is _Lena_ , but an open space is probably the last place Lena would be in after the morning’s events, so she perishes the thought. 

It could be _anyone_. But Kara has always been unable to stand hearing any form of heartbreak without doing anything about it. So she rounds the end of the aisle to check and prepares to offer comfort if she’s permitted to, carefully leaning just past the edge of the shelf for a quick peek—

—It’s Lena. Completely alone and slumped on the wooden chair, her back facing the long row of windows. She has one hand propped on the tiny table and curled around her temple, fingers combed tightly through her hair.

She has her laptop in front of her, but it’s askew, pushed to an angle where Kara guesses Lena can’t see the screen clearly. Kara can hazard a guess as to what she’s looking at and _why_ the laptop’s pushed away, and just from the mix of confusion and hurt written all over Lena’s face, she knows she can only be right.

(She _hates_ that she’s right.)

Kara pulls herself back then, and rests her entire form against the shelf’s flat surface. It’s probably for the best to leave Lena to herself, because Kara knows that to Lena, she’s just some stranger with intentions she’d never be sure about.

But Kara understands what it’s like, too; how the knife of _betrayal_ from your own blood can run deep and never fully heal. It’s what ultimately helps Kara decide, though it’s the choked sob that Lena tries so desperately to stifle that pushes Kara to move forth.

She walks to her table to grab the paper bag full of donuts she was hoping would help brighten her day, and rounds the shelf again. Her sneakers brush heavily against the carpet to hint Lena of her presence, though she does stop right by the aisle’s opening, tapping softly on the wooden shelf.

Lena straightens up at the sound, looks away when she sees Kara. She lets her fingers wipe away the weight of the last few minutes from under her eyes, and flashes Kara a tight smile. “Sorry if I disturbed you. I didn’t mean to.”

“No, you didn’t,” Kara states, surprisingly steady and such a stark contrast to how her mouth couldn’t even work the first time she saw her. “And I don’t think there’s something left to disturb. My brain’s kinda fried from all the essays.”

Lena’s answer is a soft, watery laugh that Kara did not expect, _at all_. And it’s then and there that Kara discovers that the butterflies in her stomach have even bigger, larger versions.

“I know what you mean,” Lena says, her smile a little less tight. 

But it’s still guarded as she studies Kara, and Kara really can’t fault her for that. So she sends a small smile at Lena’s way, cordial but genuine in its sincerity. “Anyway, I uh—just wanted to give you these.”

She holds the paper bag for Lena to take, holding her hand steady even when Lena throws it a skeptical glance. “They’re donuts from Blackbird.”

Lena’s quiet for a moment that Kara almost considers rescinding her offer; almost thinks of walking away and never showing her face to Lena again when a frown slowly etches itself in between Lena’s brows.

Lena’s gaze slides towards her—looks at Kara like she _wants_ something from Lena that Lena’s unwilling to give. But taking _anything_ from Lena is the last thing Kara will ever do, so she sets the paper bag down on Lena’s table but doesn’t push, and says, “It just—it sounded like you needed some pick-me-up, and donuts usually do it for me.”

She retreats one step to give Lena her solitude back, yet, she’s stopped by Lena’s own voice. “Are you saying I look bad?”

 _You never do_ nearly slips out of her tongue, but Kara catches herself and holds it back, swallowing it down. “No, just here to tell you the wonders of donuts,” she tells Lena instead. “And that it’s okay, to need them every once in a while.”

Lena wets her lips, hiding the _weight_ of Kara’s words behind the breathless _thank you_ she answers Kara with. Though Kara can see it in the heavy rise and fall of her chest, and the wetness that pools in her eyes.

It takes one drop that escapes for the rest to begin cascading down Lena’s cheeks. Lena tuts in frustration and reaches for her bag, rooting for something to dry them with, Kara surmises.

She finds books and pens and a dozen papers, but not the pack of tissues she usually keeps with her. Kara notices it, too, and fishes her handkerchief from one of the front pockets of her jeans.

She holds it out for Lena to see, a monogrammed stripe of blue and red that catches Lena’s attention. She looks up at Kara, another puzzled frown on her face settling in. Kara would give anything to know what Lena’s thinking, but all she has other than the donuts is a piece of cloth and the sympathy that resonates deep within her.

And the words, “It’s gonna be okay, whatever it is.”

Lena’s response is a timid smile that coaxes Kara one of her own, and the lightest of touches that Kara knows she will never forget—the feel of Lena’s fingers reaching for the handkerchief, nimble tips touching her palm and raising goosebumps all over her skin.

Then, she says, “Thank you. It’s been a long morning and you’ve been very kind.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Kara answers. But she also knows she has overstayed her welcome, so she adds, “I’ll uh—I’ll let you get back to it.”

She sends Lena one last smile, with eyes kind and understanding, and _now_ knowing that more than anything, what Lena could use is a friend.

...

  
  


It’s the last she sees of Lena Luthor.

Kara will find out later on that Lena has skipped her graduation ceremony in light of the most recent events, and that Andrea has left, too, nearly three weeks before Lena even had.

Kara _will_ stay; will take the second Quantum Mechanics course as her next semester’s elective, but it will never be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is! the fleshed out ceo!kara au that has lived rent-free in my mind ever since supercorptober2020!
> 
> i'd love to know what you guys think! you can come yell at me @ [inanotheruniversemusings](https://inanotheruniversemusings.tumblr.com/) or just talk sc head canons, or anything really
> 
> and if you liked my work (and my other stuff), you can also check my tumblr if you're looking for ways to support me (like buying me coffee :D)


	2. two: maybe i’m too busy being yours to fall for somebody new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the kudos and the comments you guys left on the first chapter!!! forever blown away by the support from this fandom <333

National City doesn’t look any different than Kara remembers. 

It’s the same sunny, busy polis she left more than three years ago, when she traded its warmth and sunshine for Cambridge’s overcast and rainy days. The streets are still bustling with people from all walks of life, going about their own businesses and remaining blissfully unaware of the journey Kara is about to embark on as she watches them from atop one of the tallest buildings downtown.

She still has a few minutes left before the entire course of her life permanently changes, and the first four of them she finds spending on looking past the view of the tall glass windows in her new office, straight to the bright blue sky that serves as the backdrop of the city’s skyline.

(And for a moment it goes well past that, to another coast at the other side of the country; a sliver of her thoughts drifting towards a dimpled smile and green eyes like it tends to do.

But she gets it back. She always does.) 

It feels felicitous somehow, granted what this day marks; the sun high and the sky the bluest she’s ever seen. Kara takes it as a _great_ sign, of things only going well from here on.

Her gaze is tracing the outline of the long bridge that hangs above the bay when her door cracks open and two gentle raps fill the quiet space. Eliza’s voice trails right after, tone gentle as she asks, “Kara, honey, are you ready?”

It’s only then that Kara peels herself away from the windows, shifting on her feet to meet the warmth of Eliza’s smile; basks in it and the unrestrained pride that shows on Eliza’s face.

“As I’ll ever be,” she says, unexpectedly honest. She purses her hands inside the pockets of her dress pants, fingers balling into fists at every step she takes towards the door Eliza is keeping ajar. “But I have you and Alex, right?”

Eliza’s mouth slants upwards. She nods in kind, primping the collar of Kara’s white dress shirt once Kara gets within arm’s reach, and letting her hand slide down to straighten the lapel of Kara’s suit jacket. 

Then, she tells Kara, “You do. You always will.”

…

  
  


Eliza leads her to one of the bigger conference rooms on the same floor; gives her a few moments to gather her jagged breaths and turn them even before pushing the double doors open. 

Kara plasters on a wide smile, hiding the nervousness she feels behind it as she steps inside the room. She’s greeted by a full long table, men and women dressed to the nines circled around, standing and waiting to meet her.

Yes, she’s known most of them since she was young, sitting on her dad’s lap in this very same space and entertaining herself with a stack of coloring books in this very same table while her mom took the stage; remembers being just as _entranced_ as everyone as soon as Alura Zor-El opened her mouth and commanded the room.

But those were memories and _this_ is Kara’s reality now, and she’s determined to prove that she wants nothing more than to do right by her parents’ legacy.

She finds more of her strength at the sight of Alex standing at the end of the table, right beside the vacant seat that marks the head. Alex pats the top of the chair rest to beckon Kara closer, and Kara does, pushing forth with a smile that’s a lot less shaky and uncertain. 

The tension that’s been tightening her shoulders all morning eases a little at the wide grin on her sister’s face, a mirror of everyone else’s inside the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Alex calls, clapping once to grab all the attention the moment Kara reaches her. “As we all know today is a momentous occasion for all of us. After nearly a year-long transition, my mom is officially stepping down as chief executive and chairman of the board.”

Eliza walks in further as if on cue, taking the spot on Kara’s other side. Together, the three of them present the united front that they always have been, with Kara at the center and poised to finally take the helm.

“There will be a more official announcement in the coming weeks, and we’ll be sending out the memo in the next two days,” Alex continues. “But for now, allow me to introduce everyone to EL Technologies’ new CEO.”

She breaks off, retreats one step back along with Eliza to give Kara her own space, and leads the round of applause that marks the beginning of _everything_.

“Kara Zor-El Danvers.”

...

  
  


It’s not without challenges, stepping into her new role. The year-long transition feels enough and yet _not_ at the same time, like Kara has already learned a lot about even the most complex of things in their business model, but in reality, she’s only really scratched the surface.

Her first few weeks, though, are thankfully quiet. _The calm before the PR storm_ as Alex jokingly dubs it. Kara’s scheduled to do more interviews than she would like—spaced in acceptable intervals all thanks to Kara’s ever efficient assistant, Nia—and a gala in her name that’s more for their partners’ sake than hers.

But for now, she has paperwork that she can focus on, something that’s not another list of the same questions asked by different people. So she swipes another folder labeled _STL-133_ from the thick stack, unrolling the blueprint that bears the same name along with _Wayne Enterprises_ ’ logo at the top right corner, and proceeds to work.

...

  
  


“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me you owned a Fortune 500 company.”

Kara laughs into her coffee mug, eyeing her current lunch partner with nothing but pure amusement. “Winn, it’s been two years since—”

“You hired me, I know,” Winn finishes for her. He swallows a biteful of chicken sandwich, then, “But it still surprises me sometimes, I guess. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.”

Kara sets her fork and her drink back down, wiping her mouth clean with the napkin first before speaking. “Still? But it’s been so long!”

“I know, I know,” Winn says. And he _does_. But there’s a certain disconnect between the Kara he knew from college and the Kara he has spent time with the past two years, wedged in the tiny nuances that still manages to catch him off guard. 

Like the way Kara carries herself back then: awkward and clumsy and gangly, in dorky sweaters and denim pants; a Kara that used to stuff her mouth with so much food her cheeks bulged. It’s such a stark contrast to the wholly confident woman sitting right in front of him now, donning a charcoal grey checkered suit that probably costs more than Winn’s monthly rent and square-rimmed glasses that no longer obscures half of her face.

It’s one of the few things Winn finds a little difficult to wrap his head around fully, _still_ , that’s why he tells Kara, “It’s just—it’s not every day you find out your best friend is a future CEO, you know. That’s stuff for movies.”

“Yeah well it’s not every day I meet a _tech whiz_ either,” Kara replies with a light shrug. The upward tug of her lips has Winn scratching at the back of his neck, ducking low and away from the teasing glint in Kara’s eyes.

(And _that_ , right there, is the nuance. Woven in Kara’s words and her quirks is the Kara Winn knew from four years ago.)

Kara chuckles in turn, takes a long sip of her coffee as Winn clears his throat. “Anyway, I read quite the goss from CatCo today.”

“Since when do you read CatCo?” She asks, tilting her head and throwing her friend a puzzled look.

“It’s part of my job, remember?” Winn reminds. His hand circles wildly over his side of the table in gesture, adds, “To keep track of these things?”

Kara frowns. “But you’re in infrastructure and security.”

“Your online presence _is_ part of the security,” Winn reasons. “Or at least Alex thinks it is.”

“Right,” Kara drawls, her tone dripping with suspicion. “What did you see?”

It’s Winn’s turn to smirk. He makes a show of picking up his orange juice, takes his time sucking at the straw until Kara looks like someone just lit a fire under her seat. Then, he smacks his lips together loudly and lets the words slip out so casually. “That you spent a nice night with DA Lane.”

Kara’s face pulls into a wince that catches Winn a little off guard, expecting Kara to get so flustered she fumbles her way out of his teasing. But her mouth manages to force out a smile—one that screams the exact opposite of _nice_ —and Winn’s suddenly kind of at a loss on what to say next.

Though, he only really gets his confirmation when Kara says, “I really wouldn’t call it nice.”

It takes a split second for him to decide to go for a genuine question rather than more teasing. “What do you mean? The pictures they posted say something else.”

“I mean, the dinner _was_ nice,” Kara begins to explain. “And we both did have a great time. I—I think. I hope she did, because I did. I really did. The—the food was nice, and the night was nice, and she was wearing something nice.”

“But?” Winn prompts, taking cues from the _telling_ pause Kara makes, and the way she suddenly can’t meet Winn’s eyes. He’s seen _this_ Kara before, spent time with _this_ Kara for most of the first year since they met and Kara first saw—

His eyes widen a little as realization dawns in, recalls seeing the _same_ look on her face that’s spread far and few the past years just as Kara answers, “But there’s no, you know—”

Kara hasn’t actively dated, especially not during her transition period and she’d decided that it needed her full focus. But it’s been a year after that, too, and the first time Kara has gone on another date months after the last that fell through as well. 

It’s _uncanny_ , how _that_ conversation is almost the same, that when Winn offers _wapow_ , Kara just nods and sighs, like before.

“I don’t think she’s going to call me, or would want me to call.”

“So it has nothing to do with your upcoming trip to Metropolis?”

Kara’s mid-sip of her water when she hears it, and nearly chokes on the liquid that dribbles down the wrong pipe. She takes bigger gulps to clear it, almost emptying the glass, and then schools her face into something _innocent_ the moment she sets her drink back. “Uh, no.”

Winn scrunches his nose as he shakes his head. “Your poker face still sucks.”

“Not!” Kara defends, her brows drawing together short of sticking her tongue out at him. “Besides, it’s—it’s a business trip.”

Winn hums, nods slowly. “I’m sure. And the fact that it’s in the same week as the presscon that L-Corp announced yesterday is just purely coincidental.”

“Clark got promoted—”

“And covering the event, too.”

“Fine,” Kara says. She swallows thickly, refusing to squirm under Winn’s watchful gaze. “It’s also to scope out the competition.”

Winn snorts. “Oh, I bet it is.” 

Because for all the growing up that Kara has had to do, some things stayed remarkably the same.

… 

  
  


Kara flies to Metropolis the morning after her gala, and two days before L-Corp’s scheduled presscon where Lena’s supposedly giving a speech—according to Clark’s invite at least.

Her free days she spends roaming around downtown at her own leisure, something she realizes she hasn’t had the luxury of doing in quite a while.

(And if she happens to bump into, well, _Lena_ , then she’s completely chalking it up to fate.)

Though there is _some_ truth to what she’s told Winn about scoping out the competition. She’s keeping an ear out for the barest hints of what’s currently on the rise in Metropolis’ technology industry, and the odds of it reaching National City any time soon. But it’s well within the bounds of _ethical_ —nothing but harmless questions mostly for Clark and his colleagues she’s met before, and new ones she gets to know during her brief stay—because Kara doesn’t think she can stomach anything lesser than.

It’s how her cousin ultimately decides to offer to take her as his plus one, after one too many questions about what he thinks L-Corp’s latest venture would be, and Clark has run out of answers.

“You can ask Miss Luthor tomorrow if you come with me,” Clark tells her over dinner. Lois, his fiancée, seconds it eagerly, and a part of Kara is glad her friendship with Lois has not been much affected, if at all, by that one failed date Lois has set Kara up with her sister. “Perks of the new position. I can pick which pieces to write and take juniors with me should I need to.”

Kara blanches slightly at the suggestion, her stomach twisting wildly from the idea of speaking to Lena in _any_ way after four years. “I’m—I’m—but I’m not really part of the Daily Planet?”

“That’s fine,” Clark assures. He pushes his glasses further back up his nose, and rubs the tip of his finger over the thick wire bridge. “I have the pass and I’ll just say you’re with me. And if you have questions, I can ask them for you.”

Kara would be lying if she said she didn’t think about it no matter how briefly. But it rubs her the wrong way, feels like it’s exploitative and very underhanded, which is the last thing Kara wants to do to Lena.

So she shakes her head, and tells Clark, “Thanks for the offer but that’s—it wouldn’t be right. Not for me.”

“It’s not like they’d know, Kara.”

“I know,” Kara answers with a polite smile. “But I would. And that’s not how _we_ work.”

“I understand,” Clark replies, backing down. Though, as an olive branch, he does say, “But if you change your mind, just give me a call, okay?”

Kara _won’t_ , but she doesn’t tell her cousin that. What she mumbles is an _I will, thanks_ , and proceeds to bury the topic beneath the pile of mashed potatoes on her plate.

…

  
  


True to her word, she doesn’t make the call. Instead, she stays in her hotel room all morning in her sleep shirt and sweats, with WGBS’ live feed playing in the background as she dials room service.

Lena comes on just as she’s on her last bite of fluffy pancakes, her face slobbered with syrup when Lena’s face pops up on the huge screen. She drops the fork in her haste to reach for the remote, turning the volume up and nearly choking on the bits she forces herself to swallow.

It’s her jaw that drops next as the camera zooms in closer on Lena’s face, because she’s _beautiful_. She always has been, in Kara’s eyes. It’s really not the first time she’s seen Lena like _this_ , flourishing under a crowd that clamors for her brilliance. She’s watched TED talks and interviews, read magazines. But something about being in the same city—where Kara can just run down and drive her rented car if she chooses to—makes the pull in Kara’s gut grow stronger.

 _It_ swells tenfold as Lena starts to talk, the genuine excitement making Lena’s eyes sparkle even brighter than the sun behind her.

“I am pleased to announce L-Corp’s next venture in partnership with Spheerical Industries,” Kara watches Lena say, addressing the crowd of reporters with Jack Spheer standing in support not far away from her. 

(Kara’s yet to know who he is exactly in Lena’s life. The gossip sites claim that they’re together, but they’ve done the same thing with Veronica Sinclair the year before. Only for Lena to throw it back to their faces with a quirked brow that matched the very amused laugh that slipped out when TMZ asked. So she’s less inclined to believe them now.

Not that Kara isn’t going to be happy for Lena if it turns out to be true. She _would_ be, despite the way her heart constricts right on the spot just at the mere idea. She’d be happy for her, but she finds nothing wrong with holding out some hope that Lena’s not yet spoken for.)

She sets her now empty tray devoid of breakfast on the floor, scooting closer to the television to give it her full attention, eager to hear more of Lena’s new plans.

Lena takes a pause, both to wait for the murmurs of her audience to settle down, and Kara supposes it’s for effect, too, as she’s been constantly reminded by Nia to do. It’s only when the chatter dies and the sounds left are the shutters going off in different directions does Lena continue to speak. “In a week’s time, we will be formally opening L-Corp’s new home in National City, which I will personally supervise and see throughout until the move is complete. But rest assured that our office here in Metropolis will continue to operate while we’re in the process of relocating, and though I have relayed this to our employees first and foremost, I would like to take this chance and reiterate that those who wish to stay here need not to fear losing their positions.”

Kara’s phone rings just as the press starts firing their questions at Lena. But Kara’s too stunned to move from her spot, too frozen and firmly rooted on the edge of her hotel bed. Lena’s face is still very much on her screen, calm and collected despite the deluge of questions she’s suddenly getting.

_Miss Luthor, is this move permanent? - When are you planning to leave Metropolis? - Is the move related to your brother’s crimes?_

Lena picks Clark out of all the voices, and Kara prays that he doesn’t start anything about Lex Luthor and his past crimes. Much to her relief, he asks something _trivial_. “Miss Luthor, Clark Kent from the Daily Planet. Are you going to stay in National City permanently, or do you plan to move back to Metropolis?”

“The latter is the plan,” Lena begins to say. Her lips twitch into the barest hint of a smile that Kara nearly reels from, though the smirk that follows might just do it. “But who knows? I might find a reason to stay after all.”

…

  
  


Her phone rings five more times before the live feed cuts back to the news studio; a sixth that Kara fails to pick up either, what with her brain seemingly suspended between the last shot of Lena’s retreating figure and the fact that in a week’s time, Lena will be in the same city that holds a special place in Kara’s heart.

National City’s very own L-Corp, and Kara _knows_ she’d look for it in lights.

...

  
  


It’s the blaring incoming Skype call that finally pulls Kara’s attention back to _where_ she is: still at the edge of the bed and staring blankly at the breaking news replaying on the screen.

Kara jolts from the sudden intrusion, the familiar ring piercing through. She twists around and slides the buzzing tablet towards her that has Alex’s name blinking front and center, until Kara taps on the green button to answer.

Her sister’s face pops up next, taking the whole space. She doesn’t look worried like Kara would’ve expected, more of _surprise_ painted in the entirety of her expression. “Kara, did you hear?”

“That L-Corp’s coming to National City?” Kara lobs back, then adds when Alex just nods, “Yeah. I just did.”

They fall into silence for a moment, thinking. Though Kara’s quite sure their minds are in two completely different things: Alex already planning ahead and creating backup plans for her backup plans, while Kara’s still _reeling_ from it all.

“I have no idea how she hid something that huge,” Alex says as the moment passes, with begrudging awe and respect laced in her tone. “Not even a whiff, _nada_.”

The industry they’re in is _massive_ , yet everyone always _knows_ someone from somewhere. But Alex? Alex knows them _all_. So her being caught off guard is really rather impressive, Kara thinks.

“I wonder if it’s a power move…”

“No,” Kara replies, shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Yeah? Why?” Alex shifts on her side of the call, pushing her laptop back a little so she can prop her arms against her office desk. There’s a steaming mug of coffee right next to her, a clear indication that Alex’s morning is just starting. And it began with the biggest news; Kara definitely doesn’t envy that headache. 

“The stuff with Lex Luthor had been super bad, and it kept being dragged on and on so unnecessarily,” Kara expounds, looking away and directing her gaze towards the row of skyscrapers lining up her view. “I’d want to move somewhere else too, if it were me.”

(What goes unsaid is that it brought the entirety of Luthor Corp on its knees, and Lena had to rebuild everything from the ground up on her own until L-Corp rose from its ashes. 

That Kara had watched it all closely, not because she was waiting for their strongest competition to crumble into ruins, but because, more than anything, she wanted Lena to succeed.

Because Kara knew a thing or two about family and the legacy they leave, and she’d never wish such unfortunate fate on anyone. Especially not on Lena.)

“It followed her everywhere, Alex,” Kara adds when it dawns on her that Alex isn’t going to speak. “She was still at MIT when it started, and up till now, people still find ways to bring the past up and I just—”

Alex’s face twists into one of worry, a look that Kara sees on her sister’s face often. But right now it feels heavy somehow, along with the strained _Kara_ that slips out of Alex’s lips, for known and unknown reasons.

“I know what it’s like, is all I’m saying. When my parents were—” she halts, swallows thickly at the memory, but finds it in her to push ahead. “They were good people. Despite all the rumors that hung around for years, they—they were seen as good people. And even then, others still found ways to say otherwise. I can’t even imagine how bad it is for— for Lena.”

“I keep forgetting you went to the same university with her,” Alex says after a beat, her voice light as it steers their conversation to something that isn’t threatening to dredge the unpleasant parts of Kara’s past. Not when her sister’s halfway across the country. “But that definitely makes sense.”

Kara nods solemnly. “I really think she just wants a fresh start. And with Spheerical onboard, it seems like the perfect time.”

“Isn’t that a bit too late?” Alex asks. “Like, three years too late?”

“Maybe,” Kara shrugs in turn, then, “But a fresh start all the same.”

…

  
  


She flies back to National City to more news of L-Corp’s upcoming move and the few details that do manage to trickle in; and to Lena’s face plastered on every screen and flat surface available. Granted it’s the same footage from the presscon in Metropolis, because the last that Kara’s heard, Lena has refused to give any more interviews until everything is in place.

Meeting Alex and Winn the next day is interesting, to say the least, in varying degrees. Alex is starting to get more concerned about future potential projects given the magnitude of the current media buzz, while Winn keeps throwing her knowing smirks every time they cross paths.

She almost turns down his lunch invite because his grin is the least subtle thing ever. But he’s also the only one who _knows_ , the only one she ever really talks to about _certain_ things, and Kara is feeling the need to sort her thoughts out sooner rather than later.

They hide in Winn’s office with their boxes of Pad Thais and potstickers that Kara has definitely missed during her short trip. It’s a modest room, cooler than most as it houses their servers directly behind it, and a little darker too, though Kara supposes it’s more of a preference than a need. But it’s completely safe from prying eyes and straying ears in its secluded silence, their voices lost in the cacophony of muffled hums from their mainframe machines.

Winn takes his seat right in front of his desk, dropping his weight on the tall rest while twirling noodles around his fork. “So, where are we on things?”

Kara pulls one of the vacant chairs scattered around the room and drapes her blazer over the back of it for safekeeping. She rolls it towards the edge of Winn’s desk, then picks her own box of noodles to pry open. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” Winn replies mid-chew. He pauses, swallowing around the forkful in his mouth, then, “The whole L-Corp’s moving to National City—right across the street, if I may add—and you’re in love with Lena Luthor thing?”

“I’m not in love with her,” Kara contends with a roll of her eyes. “I just—you know, think she’s amazing.”

“Fine, fine,” he acquiesces; twists to pick up one of his own potstickers, biting half. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

There’s really no answer to that, Kara thinks, because Kara doesn’t know what to do, either. Between a company that she needs to run and being a blip in Lena’s radar ever since Kara has known her, there isn’t anything much to do to start with. So she says, “Nothing. It’s business as usual.”

Winn throws her a look, eyes squinting a tad bit, and Kara feels like some sort of specimen under a microscope. “You’re gonna wing it, aren’t you?”

Kara just lifts her takeout box closer to her mouth, stuffs it with noodles, and refuses to dignify Winn’s question with an answer.

…

  
  


It’s a quiet move all in all, marked only by a humble ribbon cutting on the day itself that Kara and Alex both watch from one of the conference rooms in the lower floors, whose windows face the street where L-Corp’s newest building is.

But what really announces their presence is the head-to-head of EL Technologies’ and L-Corp’s stocks. It comes in conjunction with a couple of new projects L-Corp has in line, partnering with companies that Kara and Alex have personally worked with, too.

It adds to the small amount of worry Alex is trying _not_ to fester in her. Though it does the opposite to Kara, feeling a certain push to do better— _be better_.

“You know what would really shock those guys down there?” Alex asks, nodding at the gaggle of media people circled around L-Corp’s main entrance.

Kara’s gaze doesn’t stray away from Lena’s tiny form, but she does ask her sister back. “What?”

“If we partner with L-Corp for a project or two,” her sister quips with a soft laugh. “I can see the headlines already. _Tech giants taking over the world_.”

“Y-yeah,” Kara agrees. Though the laugh that escapes her throat is more forced, coming from her chest that constricts at the mere idea; at how very possible it is, and that’s all Kara’s ever going to be to Lena, someone to do good business with. 

_Nothing else_.

Alex turns to look at her, frowning at the sudden stiffness in Kara’s spine. “You okay?”

“Yes, yes,” Kara nods. But it’s more to shake it out of her system than anything. “I just remembered the satellite project. How’s that going, by the way?”

“We’re just waiting to hear back from Mister Wayne if they agree with the terms. And if they are, I’ll send the final contract right away.”

“Great, that’s great,” Kara commends, albeit a little distractedly. Her eyes track Lena as she makes her way inside the building and the crowd of reporters start to disburse. 

“You sure you’re okay?” Alex repeats, her brows drawing together. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“It’s nothing, Alex, I promise. It’s just been a—a _week_ , I guess.”

“I know what you mean,” Alex sighs. She wraps an arm around Kara’s shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze. “But you’re doing fine. We’ll be fine.”

“I know we will be. I have you.”

…

  
  


It’s both easy _and_ hard now that Lena’s in the same city as Kara is. Easy because nothing has really changed. EL Technologies is still fairing just as well as when Eliza left it in her hands, with a steady stream of investors and projects coming in even with L-Corp’s presence.

But it’s hard, _too_ , moving in the same circles as Lena’s now, and never really knowing what to do about it but stare at her like a lovesick teenager with a worsening crush from right across the room.

It starts at Noonan’s. Kara’s on her way to get a quick caffeine boost for her early morning meeting with an investor when she finds Lena sitting in one of the tables by the cafe’s windows. She’s having coffee with Jack—she’s almost always with Jack it pains Kara sometimes—slathering a small amount of cream cheese on her toast.

Her hair is tied up pristinely, long ends brushing over the fabric of her maroon suit jacket as it sways and swishes behind her head in each and every minute movement. Dark red lips simper at Jack’s words that Kara doesn’t really hear, but the sight has her nearly squeezing the steaming cup of coffee she’s picking up from the counter. 

Kara gets enough presence of mind to turn away and mind the scalding liquid instead, balancing her breakfast wrap and the coffee cup in one hand and her breath that catches behind her throat in the other; scrounges up some more to leave with her gaze purposeful, refusing to let her eyes wander anywhere else that isn’t the winding path towards the building ahead.

And then it’s Red Dragon, four blocks away from their offices’ street. Certainly out of EL Technologies’ way, and subsequently L-Corp’s, but it serves Kara’s most favorite potstickers in the world so she doesn’t mind the long ten-minute walk to get to the place.

She’s with Alex this time, having dragged her sister straight out of the conference room after an arduous two-hour meeting that has robbed Kara of her remaining energy for the rest of the day. Though they’d hammered down the details and had come out of it with a signed deal, and ultimately, that’s the most important part. So Kara’s going to celebrate such a win by stuffing her face full of two dozen potstickers and some orange chicken to match.

Except, Lena’s there, too, with Jack— _again_ , Kara almost wants to roll her eyes—and another woman that Kara doesn’t remember ever seeing before. They’re just settling down on one of the two still empty booths when Kara sees them—sees Lena, in a dark green dress and loose curls that makes her stand out right _here_ , in the middle of a busy Chinese restaurant and perhaps the last place Kara thinks she’ll ever see Lena.

(But Lena _always_ does stand out—she’s always had. Kara never really had the chance.)

It’s quite a full house, so Alex makes a beeline for the only other unoccupied table. She barrels into Jack’s broad back in her haste even with Kara’s quick reflexes, trying to pull her sister back by the hand she abruptly clasps on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex lets out a soft _oof_ at the moment of impact, while Jack quickly whirls around, his hands already extended in apology; matches it with words in his perfect accent that Kara wants, _wants_ to scoff at.

But there is also not one, single, malicious bone in Kara’s body, and she’s practically incapable of disliking anyone with no apparent reason—a saint, as Alex has told her one too many times—so she just sighs.

She hides behind Alex’s form and keeps her head low as Alex and Jack exchange a couple more apologies, feeling Lena’s eyes on them, and picks the seat that isn’t facing their booth. Because Alex may think that Kara’s a saint, but Kara doesn’t think she has it in her to become a martyr.

…

  
  


It happens a few more times. A third, where Kara spends most of her morning fixated on the giant television screen inside her office, watching as Lena announces L-Corp’s zero carbon initiative. The rest of it she invests in an impromptu meeting with her legal team after finding out that L-Corp is filing a patent for one of their newer technologies that share a similarity to the one Kara and her team have developed, and it becomes some sort of race that Kara intends to win.

(She _does_ , and it makes her giggle, finding the challenge as a good thing instead of a bad thing that most people likely would.

Like Alex, who almost blew out a vein in the forty-eight hours it took to finally secure the patent.)

A fourth that has been her _closest_. Kara is casually propped against the elevator car’s glossy back wall on her way down to S.T.A.R Labs’ lobby, after a quick appointment with Barry over an AI technology model that Kara would like to incorporate along with theirs, when she almost comes face to face with Lena.

 _Almost_ , because Lena’s scrolling through her phone just as Kara is walking out of the elevator car; barely even looks away from her screen even as she steps in and presses the button for whichever floor she’s headed, and Kara is left watching her over her shoulder until the doors close.

And just like that, _suddenly_ , Lena’s _everywhere_.

…

  
  


A month and a half passes. Kara likes to think she’s got a better handle on things, though, she herself isn’t quite sure.

What she is sure of is how EL Technologies is flourishing under hers and Alex’s hands, with the amount of paperwork that has piled on her desk as Kara’s proof. She slogs through every page painstakingly, going through each detail with incessant fastidiousness she honestly didn’t know she was capable of.

But it’s also taxing to be consistently thorough, and Kara finds herself staring out her glass windows more often than not, when the sun has long set and the skyline has turned into a silhouette behind the glittering street lights.

Winn finds her like that one night; waltzes into Kara’s office with a single knock on Kara’s door, armed with a box of still-hot pizza and one of his grins. “I knew you’d still be here,” he tells her as he sets the box on the other side of Kara’s desk, far away from _any_ form of paperwork.

“Yeah,” Kara answers. She shifts on her seat, her chair groaning at the movement. There are still a few pages in front of her that she needs to finish reading, and her pen on one hand to sign the last once she _does_ manage to get there. 

But Kara has long lost the will to push forth, so she picks them up and tucks them back into their respective folder, throws her pen inside her bag to finally end her day, and says, “But if I see one more _figures table_ , I might end up pulling all my hair out.”

Winn laughs, more at the petulant frown that’s starting to shape on Kara’s face than the imagery. He nudges the square box closer to Kara then, flipping it open and grabbing himself a slice.

The smell of pepperoni and cheese instantly fills her office, though it’s the grumble in her stomach that reminds Kara that she hasn’t exactly had anything else besides a few cups of coffee the last six hours. She takes a slice, too, biting at it hungrily and completely past caring if it drips on her dress shirt.

They’re silent for a few beats, simply enjoying one of Kara’s favorite things in the world and the quiet that comes with one of her favorite people. Both their gazes train towards the view outside of Kara’s tall glass windows, but Kara’s inevitably slides to the brightest building right across the street, to the still-lit top floor beneath an equally bright signage that spells _L-Corp_.

She briefly wonders if Lena’s staying late, too, and tries hard not to think of anything beyond _that_. She very nearly fails, if not for Winn’s voice that pierces through that line of thought. 

“So, it’s been months since she’s moved here. When are you going to ask her out?”

Kara can’t help but snort at that, takes a bigger bite out of her pizza than she has intended to. “Yeah, right. She doesn’t even know me.”

“Then let’s fix that,” Winn replies. “Let’s go march down at L-Corp so you can tell her, _hey remember me? I’m Kara Danvers and I’ve been in love with you since I saw you at our Quantum Mechanics class._ ”

She rolls her eyes, balling up a clean paper towel she hurls at Winn’s face. “Not gonna happen.”

A snicker rumbles out of Winn’s chest as he swats the piece of tissue away. “You’re right, that’s too bold for you,” he agrees.

“Hey!” Kara calls out; feels like she should be offended or _something_. “I so can do bold!”

Winn throws her a narrowed look, his chin jutting out in challenge. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kara maintains defiantly.

“Then why haven’t you?”

Kara starts at the abrupt turn their conversation has taken, feels like she has to reel her mind back in to seriously consider her friend’s question. 

Yet, in the end, she finds that she doesn’t really know what to tell Winn either.

It’s true that it has been a few months since Lena has made a home out of National City, and that she and Kara have been moving around the same circles like planets in the same orbit. But there isn’t exactly any reason to go near each other’s axis, like how Mercury has absolutely no business with the sun other than being drawn to its gravity, and a part of Kara is too afraid to fly too close.

So, she says, “I—I don’t know.” 

It lacks the defiance that earlier fueled her words. Her eyes don’t— _can’t_ meet Winn’s, her gaze sliding down and fixing itself on the collar of his shirt. “I guess I spent the longest time thinking she’s someone I’d never be able to—to—” 

Kara breaks herself off, letting out a frustrated sigh as she pushes at the bridge of her glasses more out of a nervous habit than an actual need. It takes her a couple of deep breaths to continue, which Winn thankfully lets her collect with kind eyes and empathy written all over the silence he upholds. “And now that there’s a chance, an honest to goodness chance, I don’t know what to do with it.”

She feels the air slowly drain from her lungs now that _that_ truth is out, a weight off her chest that has her slumping against her chair.

“You take it,” Winn says quietly after a moment. His lips curl into a small smile he sends Kara’s way, along with his tone that’s laden with nothing but support.

“But what if it doesn’t—it doesn’t—” Kara _tries_ , and then trails off, unable to continue.

Yet, she doesn’t really have to. Winn gets it anyway. 

The kind look on his face remains unchanged, even when— _especially_ when he says, “Then you’d know for sure. That way, you won’t have to live with the what ifs.”

“That’d be nice,” Kara accepts with a sigh. “To know for sure for once.”

“But you really won’t if you don’t try, right?”

“Right.”

…

  
  


She sleeps on _that_ conversation for eleven hours—a miracle on its own given how much it has been plaguing her mind these days—and spends her weekend in the quiet solitude of her penthouse apartment.

She only drags herself out of bed for the most luxurious bath she can pamper herself with, leaves her phone on silent for the entire hour and a half that she’s submerged in fragrant, soapy water and a thick shroud of bubbles.

It’s a short reprieve. By the time she steps out of the tub and steps into her comfiest clothes, Winn has already blown her phone up with ten dozen messages. The first being a twitter link of one of CatCo’s most recent articles, followed by different variations of _Kara are you there_ and _have you seen this_.

It’s kind of embarrassing that her initial thought is that the media has finally gotten wind of Kara’s _feelings_ even though Kara isn’t even doing anything really. Other than flying to Metropolis to _also_ visit Clark, and staring at Lena from afar and if the moment permits it.

Thankfully, it’s not. It’s a good thing if Kara seriously considers it, but she knows Winn is just teasing, so she only rolls her eyes at the headline that greets her.

 _Lena Luthor and rumored boyfriend Jack Spheer have called it quits_.

Kara exits the app and pulls her message thread with Winn, firing a reply. _What’s this?_

 _This_ , Winn types back, _is a sign. The universe is telling you to go for it_.

 _Yeah, well, I’m telling the universe that I refuse to be a rebound_ , Kara sends with a snorted laugh, which only grows when her phone buzzes in her hand and Winn’s final message for the day pops up. 

_I hate it when you make a good point_.

…

  
  


It’s not without merit though, _signs_. Kara’s not a firm believer per se, being a woman of science, but she respects the concept as she does with many other things science hasn’t yet found ways to explain.

It’s the one thing she has never really done. Every decision she’s ever made has been deliberate, turned over and over and on each and every side until Kara has exhausted every possible outcome.

But she’s never asked for a sign—she doesn’t really know how to ask for _anything_ ; only gives, and gives, and gives—has never really put her entire fate in the universe’s hands.

Kara supposes this is where Winn would tell her that there is a first time for everything, like it’s some sort of ancient proverb that Kara has never even heard of—

—and yet, Kara thinks, she’ll agree.

…

  
  


On Sunday, she hears Lena speak her name for the first time.

Granted, it’s an interview at KSFZ that Kara genuinely chances upon while surfing channels for something remotely interesting. It’s brief and quite straight to the point that Kara almost misses it completely, only catching the tail ends of the last question Lena gets asked about.

“We all know about L-Corp’s long-standing rivalry with EL Technologies,” the interviewer prefaces. “And I suppose, everyone is curious how is that going now that your company is here, and EL Technologies is right across the street.”

“I don’t know about rivalry,” Kara hears Lena answer; fights the urge to sigh dreamily at the soft laugh Lena follows it with. “I wouldn’t even call it as such, as my mother was good friends with the late Zor-Els, and has maintained quite the rapport with Eliza Danvers.”

“But both have a new generation of company heads now,” the interviewer presses on. Kara rolls her eyes at the obvious baiting, and makes a note of who he is just in case she’s the one who gets ambushed out of nowhere. “Surely there’s some juicy rivalry going on?”

“With Kara Danvers you mean?” Lena clarifies. Her brow arches the tiniest bit, conveying that she’s already just as tired of this line of questioning as Kara is—and Kara shouldn’t even find it that attractive but she does—no matter how relentless the reporter seems to be. “I can assure you there’s none. Not on my part at least.”

Lena gathers her hair onto one shoulder—Kara shouldn’t find that attractive either, but at this point she’s starting to think she’s really doomed—and wets her lips at the pause she takes before adding, “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her, although I’m sure she’s lovely. But if—or when we do, maybe you’ll finally get what you’re looking for. Or you’ll get something else. Who knows, right?”

…

  
  


_Something else_ oddly doesn’t feel foreboding. More like something to look forward to that Kara carries with her the moment she rolls out of bed and heads to work.

Even Monday doesn’t feel like _Monday_. It’s as if she suddenly has a renewed sense of insight, and she’d say it’s the peaceful break from work that she hasn’t had in a while, but Kara knows to herself that it’s, well, _something else_.

But it puts a bounce in her step either way that Alex immediately takes note of when nine o’clock arrives, and she’s knocking on Kara’s door for a quick breakfast run before their bi-weekly board meeting scheduled in the next hour.

Alex doesn’t say anything at first. Kara has always been the perky one between the two of them, and there’s rarely anything that can pop the bubble of sunny disposition that Kara’s been born with. 

But when Kara unsuccessfully stifles a giggle when Alex tells her on their walk back that she’s learned that L-Corp is also planning to acquire rights to S.T.A.R. Labs’ AI technology model, then, she just _has_ to. “You’re not the slightest bit worried about what their next plans are?”

“We can’t worry about every single thing, Alex,” Kara reasons, though it’s only after she’s cleared her throat and schooled her face back to something that resembles _serious_. “From what they have announced so far, it looks like they’re heading to a different direction than we are.”

Alex takes a bite off of her meatballs sub, prompting Kara to continue. “And if—if at some point we meet in the same direction, then—then we’ll just have to make sure we offer something different with what we have.”

“I guess you’re right,” her sister sighs. “It _is_ far too early to worry about these things.”

Kara nods; tilts her head and looks at her sister, askance. “You weren’t this bothered when Lord Technologies—”

“Because Maxwell Lord is shady as fuck and they’re complete shit at things,” Alex barks, indignance in the roll of her eyes. “ _Clean water for all_ my ass. It’s been three years since they launched that project and absolutely _nothing_ of significance has happened.”

Kara doesn’t bother curbing the laughter that bursts out of her chest this time.

…

  
  


She parts ways with Alex when the elevator stops at their R&D Labs’ floor, stepping out to check with their engineers and see how the projects she’s overseeing are progressing.

Three of them are currently ahead of the timeline they’ve plotted, while one is experiencing delays due to a shipment that hasn’t arrived yet. But Kara supposes things are perfectly fine, all things considered—great, even.

She makes sure to thank her teams and leave them with praises fit for the level of dedication they have consistently shown, the preening smile on their faces plastering a wide, beaming one on Kara’s in turn.

Though it admittedly drops a little the moment she steps inside her office and she’s greeted by Nia, waiting patiently on Kara’s office couch.

“Miss Danvers—” Nia starts to say. She springs to her feet as soon as Kara comes into her view, clamps her lips together in a shy smile when Kara throws her a look. “I mean, Kara.”

“Yes, hi,” Kara replies. She walks straight to her desk, and then gestures for Nia to take the chair right in front of it. “What’s up?”

“Alex sent me here to talk about your new schedule?”

“My new schedule?” Kara repeats, frowning. She pulls up the calendar on her laptop filled with multiple colored blocks but she doesn’t find anything particularly new. 

Unless— 

“Oh gosh, I didn’t miss something, did I?”

“No, no,” Nia quickly clears, much to Kara’s utmost relief. She _is_ busy, but she’s never been in the habit of missing an appointment that has already been set if it’s not absolutely necessary to. “You didn’t.”

Kara breathes out a visible sigh. “Oh, for a moment there I really thought I did. But—uhm, anyway, what about this new schedule?”

It’s Nia’s turn to frown in confusion, and hazards an assumption as to why her boss seems entirely clueless. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen the invite?”

Kara merely confirms it when her brows draw together and asks, “Invite?”

“The AI and Robotics Conference in London?” Nia offers, not unkind. “It’s in two weeks, and Alex wants me to plan ahead and reschedule all of your meetings at either an earlier date or when you come back.”

“In two weeks?” Kara presses her fingers to the thick temple of her glasses. “Golly, that’s soon.”

“It is, and it’s kind of your first real foray into the industry,” Nia says. “You’ve never really been into an event as big as this ever since you stepped in as CEO. But not to worry, because it’s mostly just rubbing elbows and expanding your network.”

“Yeah, okay,” Kara nods once, the surprised look on her face shifting to one of determination. “It shouldn’t be that hard to charm people into working with EL Technologies, right?”

“Just flash them one of your big grins and it’ll be in the bag,” Nia teases. She waves a hand in gesture and chuckles at the _big grin_ that Kara does show her. “Alex also said she can’t miss whatever it is L-Corp’s going to talk about.”

“L—L-Corp?”

“Yeah,” Nia confirms. She grabs the invitation she’s left on Kara’s desk—still unopened and suddenly all of Kara’s confusion now makes sense—fishing the glossy three-fold paper out to spread it open for her boss to see. She points at _Day Two_ , the tip of her finger landing on Lena’s and Jack’s name listed as two of the keynote speakers, just below the topic that reads _Nanotechnology_. “She looked super interested when I saw her earlier.”

Oh. 

Lena is going to be in the same room with Kara.

 _Oh_.

Lena’s going to be in the same room with Kara for the first time in four years, and if that isn’t the sign that Kara has been looking for, she doesn’t really know what is.

…

  
  


Kara’s not nervous.

She may have brought her most trusted circle with her, and six of her best suits and five different ties for a three-day conference, but she’s _not_ nervous.

Alex is a _given_ , being that her sister is her ultimate partner-in-crime. Alex has always made Kara strive to work better just by being around, and she gets the feeling that she’ll need Alex telling her to focus now more than ever.

Winn is her _confidante_ who just also happens to be inherently dedicated to technology itself. It’d be a great disservice to their friendship—and a sure-fire way to lose her best friend card—if she flies out of National City without Winn on board.

Lastly, Kara likes to run a tight ship, and there’s only one person in her mind that she knows can hold all of them together: Nia. Her assistant has an uncanny efficiency that Kara hasn’t really seen the likes of, quick on her feet and sometimes even miles ahead than where Kara is.

Together, the four of them form Kara’s _circle_. She already feels a little more at ease when she steps inside her family’s private jet and she’s greeted by their faces, Winn’s even already stuffed with a huge chunk of turkey sandwich. Though that kind of familiarity only brings her peace as the plane takes off, letting Kara settle into her seat with a little less weight pressing in on her chest.

Nia sits right across her, fingers swiping up on her tablet as she prepares to go through Kara’s schedule. She starts with the ETA on their arrival, then pulls up the room arrangements next.

“We’ll arrive at roughly six in the evening,” Nia explains. “Could be earlier but definitely not later, or Captain Vasquez and I will have quite some talk.”

“Okay,” Kara nods with a chuckle.

“As for rooms,” Nia continues. “The organizers have requested that all attendees stay at the same hotel to make things easier for everyone, so I checked the rooms they’re offering and I think they’re up to par with Alex’s taste.”

She throws Alex a look in jest, and laughs at the piqued _hey_ Alex lobs back at her.

“I just happen to like nice things. That doesn’t make me the prissy one,” Alex justifies.

Kara giggles in turn, turning to look over her shoulder and face her sister. “You’re right,” she agrees, much to Alex’s surprise. But then she’s tugging at the lapel of her suit jacket and fishing her phone out from the inside pocket, tapping on the screen a few times as she says, “Wait till Eliza hears you called her prissy.”

 _Something_ cuts her ensuing snickers off. A small, hard, round thing that hits the back of her head. When she looks, it’s a red Skittle, and Kara’s completely sure it has come from the pack Alex is currently munching on. 

She gasps _aptly_ , sending an accusing look her sister’s way. “How dare you waste something sacred!”

It only earns her another Skittle that hits her forehead. This time, it’s blue.

…

  
  


Later—after Alex lets off at the glower Nia sends her, and she’s stopped wasting good candy in a food fight that Kara has been at an unfair disadvantage in the first place—Nia finally gets the chance to circle them back to discussing their itinerary. Winn has long given up on listening, retiring to one of the couches lining up the interior for a nap, while Alex stays put, chewing on more candy.

“Anyway,” Nia begins. She taps on another tab, pinches out of the page and turns the screen towards Kara to show her the details. “I got you and Alex separate executive rooms. And Winn and I will be down two floors from—”

“Wait,” Kara cuts off, frowning slightly. “Why are you guys staying on a different floor?” 

“I didn’t get the same room as yours. Just the—”

The crease on Kara’s brows only deepens at Nia’s answer. “Well, why not? Won’t it be easier for us if we’re all on the same floor? You won’t have to like—like run upstairs if you need me for something.”

Nia ducks her head, suddenly sheepish. “It was just much more cost efficient. I asked Winn, too, if he’s okay with staying in the cheapest room and he told me even that is probably fancier than his apartment.”

“But that’s not fair,” Kara airs, sounding a little put off by the idea. “We’re a team. Whatever Alex and I are having, you should be too.”

“But—” 

“She’s right, you know,” Alex backs up firmly. Her tone doesn’t leave any room for Nia to argue. “Go ask for a room upgrade now before all of them get booked. Don’t worry about the expenses, Kara’s gonna pay for them.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Kara says as the ghost of hesitation dawns on Nia’s face. “I’ve already settled this with Accounting and left instructions to foot the entire bill to Alex’s account.”

Nia laughs despite the blush that takes over her cheeks, reminded of one of the reasons why she’s loved working for Kara, and Alex by some extension. It’s the rapport they’ve managed to build quickly, and the genuine care both Kara and Alex have for each of their employees. Granted, Kara’s still in the process of learning the ropes, but Nia already sees the empathy that Kara embodies like her sister and Eliza do. A _Danvers_ trademark, Nia’s beginning to think.

So she says, “Yeah, okay.” Acquiesces the moment Alex goes back to rooting around her Skittles pack and Kara asks her if she needed the card details as a way of prompting her to go ahead. Nia just shakes her head _no_ , but she does act quickly; tells Kara in what comes out as an almost afterthought. “I guess I have to do it now, if you really want me to. Last I heard, L-Corp’s team is staying on the same floor as ours, and I’m not sure how many rooms they’ve taken.”

Kara’s fingers curl tighter around her phone then; feels the nervous knot that has been in the pit of her stomach the entire flight suddenly seize her throat. “Did—you said—L-Corp?”

She doesn’t, _doesn’t_ mean for her pitch to rise as she reaches the end of that stilted thought, but it does, in a squeak that makes Nia’s head snap up.

Nia gives her a curious look, eyes narrowing little by little each second that passes and Kara is unable to school the wide-eyed expression frozen on her face.

“Yes,” she drawls, watching her boss closely. “L-Corp.”

“That’s—” Kara tries; finds that she has to clear her throat twice before she can actually articulate something remotely coherent. Though, even then, the only thing she can come up with is, “That’s—uhm, nice. You know, for, uhm, expanding my—our network. Because it’s what—what we’re going to do. There. In London.”

Nia hums, tilting her head. “Yes, that is the plan.”

Kara only clears her throat once more, and then taps on the screen of Nia’s tablet, murmuring _rooms_ to signal the end of that conversation.

...

  
  


It’s dark and drizzling by the time their rental car pulls up to the hotel, Kara can tell by the thin sheet of raindrops that blurs the tinted windows despite the partition that Nia puts up to obscure them from view.

(It’s what Kara focuses on, the gentle, steady patter of rain against the roof, her eyes closing on their own as her fingers ball into tight fists. 

She has never really learned to like sitting inside any car again because it almost always dredges up the _airless_ feeling she’s never quite managed to shake since she was thirteen. Being in the backseat is even _worse_ , like she’s getting robbed of air in the worst of ways the longer she stays inside.)

It’s a little cold when they finally get to step out of the Royce, though Kara embraces the chilly air that greets her willingly, as if her lungs are working once more and there isn’t a globe of air around her head that’s sucking her breaths out.

Kara lets Nia work out their room arrangements by the hotel’s reception counter, taking a moment to gather herself from the car ride. Alex and Winn give her the space they know she needs, hovering away yet still within arm’s reach. 

The lobby is brimming with people in suits, and it’s normally a sight that Kara isn’t fond of. But the low bustle that’s filling the floor is chasing the phantom sharp screech of tires away from her head, and for that, Kara’s thankful.

It fades out wholly at the brisk staccato of Nia’s heels as she draws near, flashing their keycards with an excited grin she fails to tamp down. “We’re all in the same wing, thank God,” she says; hands one to each of them before tugging at her rolling suitcase. “I gave Alex the farthest, just in case she wants to, _ya know_. For the sake of being discreet. And ours.”

“How dare you,” Alex retorts, feigning offense. “This is a work trip, Miss Nal.”

But it’s Kara who answers, ducking away from her sister’s reach before Alex can get the chance to let her words sink in. “Like that has stopped you before.”

“Hey! What have I told you about spilling secrets?! That’s corporate treason!”

…

  
  


Day one has Kara up at seven in the morning; probably even earlier than that—she doesn’t think she’s actually really _slept_ —but Kara’s blaming it on jetlag and _nothing else_.

She’s in the robe that came with her room thirty minutes after hopping out of her bed, having already taken a quick shower even though the conference isn’t scheduled to start until nine. Her damp hair is dripping tiny droplets all over the carpeted floor as she stares at the dresser rack filled with her suits. 

Kara spends a long moment sifting through each. Though, ultimately, she admits she needs help deciding which screams _new and inexperienced_ less. So she calls Alex.

Alex picks up at the fifth ring—and shortly after Kara has resisted just barging into her room—scowling at the screen with sleep-laden eyes. “Kara, it’s fucking seven in the morning.”

“It’s seven thirty,” Kara provides unhelpfully; flushes at the frown on Alex’s face that just deepens. “But—I need your help. About something.”

Alex groans. “Please tell me you haven’t lost your keycard already.”

“That was one time!”

“Then what is it?” She throws back. Her side of the screen shakes, the rustle of sheets wafting through the speakers of Kara’s phone. “What do you need help with?”

Kara nibbles at her bottom lip as if the mere action will stop her cheeks from heating. “I—I need help with—is it good for business to wear black on the first day of a conference?”

Alex thaws, discerning the nervousness in Kara’s tone despite the playful smile Kara punctuates it with. It’s _shaky_ , and Alex knows for certain that it has nothing to do with being on video. “Kara, what have I told you?”

“To keep smiling even if rich white men start bragging about their achievements,” Kara succinctly recites. “Business one-o-one.”

Her sister can’t help the chuckle that bursts out of her nose. “Yes, that’s right. And don’t forget that today! But I actually mean the other one.”

“Always go with blue?” Kara hazards a guess. “Because it—”

“Brings out your eyes,” Alex finishes for her with a soft smile. “Come on. Show me all the blue ones you brought and we’ll pick one from there.”

… 

  
  


They both opt for the sleek navy blue suit that fits Kara’s form in a classy, suave way that even Alex gets jealous of. But she grins at Kara like they’re just stepping out of their offices to grab some quick breakfast—which, Alex supposes, is somewhat true—and not about to mingle with people that they may or may not be working with in the near future.

They’re a little early when they get to the Vista Hall. Half the tables are still empty, so Kara grabs at the chance and walks towards the tall windows, looking out the street to try and ease off her nerves.

She hears more than sees Winn follow—hears his casual whistling, as if he’s only after the same view too. The London Eye is quite clear in this part of the room, and for a moment, Kara lets that sight be the only thing running in her head.

Until Winn ceases his whistling and opens his mouth to speak. “You should totally say hi to Lena.”

Kara freezes then, grows as rigid as the hands she slides inside her dress pants. It takes her another pause before she can even swallow amidst the knot that suddenly presents itself in her throat, and then slowly turns to face Winn. “Sh—should I?”

“I think there can’t be a more perfect moment,” Winn says. His smile is soft, like he _means_ it. “You’re here to actually meet people, after all.”

“But, _but_ I don’t—you know I don’t want it to be about business.”

Winn shrugs, as if it makes no difference. “So, make sure you tell her that.”

And Kara thinks, _maybe_ , it’s really just as simple as that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mayhaps i really do love pining kara. i hope you guys did too.
> 
> i'd love to know what you all think! you can come yell at me @ [inanotheruniversemusings](https://inanotheruniversemusings.tumblr.com/) or just talk sc head canons, or anything really
> 
> and if you liked my work (and my other stuff), you can also check my tumblr if you're looking for ways to support me (like buying me coffee :D)


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